From MPs playing Ramayana characters to Kaikeyi in positive light, it’s a different event in the city
The entire national Capital is gearing up for the festive season and not to be left behind are the Luv Kush Ramlila Committee and the Nav Shri Dharmik Lila Committee — two of the biggest Ramlila committtes in old Delhi — which are organising their progrrammes on the Red Fort ground.
The Luv Kush Ramlila Committee was launched in 1988 and has since engaged Members of Parliament (MP) and councillors to play characters in the dramatic depiction of the mythological epic, Ramayana. This year, MP of northeast Delhi, Manoj Tiwari, is going to play the role of Angad, and MP of Hoshiyarpur, Vijay Sampla, will be playing the role of Nishad Raj. Nearly 50 film and television actors will also be participating in the Ramlila.
Besides, Lucknow-based magician Hasan Kamal Rizvi is going to play the role of Narantak. And he won’t be the only Muslim actor to perform in the Ramlila. Organisers have also planned other cultural activities, such as a daily dance performance by a different troupe. They will also be bringing in beauty pageant winners from more than 56 countries to attract the crowd. To top it all, John Abraham will be the special guest on the occasion of Dussehra, on September 30.
The Nav Shri Dharmik Lila Committee, started in 1958, has installed CCTV cameras this year to provide for fool-proof security. The cameras have a high capacity for rotating, so that every activity in the premises can be monitored. It is also broadcasting the ramlila on its Facebook page and Youtube.
In fact, this year, the committee has given Ram Baraat a new avatar of a ‘Royal Wedding’, in which the baraat will enter the ground with beautifully accessorised horses and elephants. Also, instead of depicting Lord Ram’s stepmother Kaikeyi as a villain, she will be shown as dead against Ram being sent to the exile.
“We are considering a positive role for Kaikeyi, as written in Kadam Rishi’s Ramayana. We are hoping that Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Manmohan Singh will join us at Dussehra to shoot the Ravana with the symbolic arrow,” said Rahul Sharma, Press Secretary of the Nav Shri Dharmik Lila Committee.
Ramlilas began to be organised in Delhi nearly 400 years ago, when Mughal king Shahjahan shifted his Capital from Agra and built Shahjahanabad, now known as Old Delhi. This time, more than 500 small ramlilas are being organised across the city.
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