Farmers Movement Archive

A year that failed to bring cheer to festival committees

Tribune News ServiceJalandhar, October 26For 52 years the Upkaar Ramlila Committee has been holding the Ramlila at the Dhandar Mandir at Basti Gujan, but this is the first year the gala celebrations have been muted. Except a marginally ambitious celebration at the Ghaas Mandi on Sunday, all the Dasehra grounds and Ramlila venues across the district were cloaked in an uncanny silence.Yogesh Anand, a banker, who has been playing Ravana for past 38 years across district Ramlilas, felt such a tinge of nostalgia for the character that he dressed up in his elaborate gold Ravana costume and cut a cake at home to celebrate Dasehra. “I have played Raavan at dozen of venues in my life. As the virus muffled revels, so my bank colleagues came home and cut a cake for me and I dressed up like a Raavan to celebrate the occasion,” he quips, before going on, “we can’t go outside but at least we can pay our tributes from home.”However, it’s not only Dasehra. Some of the committees involved from Holi to Diwali all have had an uneventful year. An entire system of artistes, technicians, costume makers, event managers, light and sound providers, make-up artistes and temples have felt the chills down their spine due to the pandemic.Sandeep Bali, who has been playing Lakhshman for the past 20 years at the Upkaar Ramlila Committee, said, “It has been a very hard year for us. We get clothes made from our own tailors. Despite that, the costumes, mukuts (crowns), gotas (golden lace) and other items required for the Ramlila made it necessary for us to buy at least Rs30,000 to 50,000 worth of items till now. At other Ramlilas the cost skyrockets. Right after Rakhsbandhan we used to tie gandhas on each other’ hands and pledged to carry out a successful Ramlila, but this year we didn’t do that either many were apprehensive.”Ramlila is just one of the festivities entailing the Upkaar Committee observes. In March, it celebrates the region’s first flower Holi (a tradition started at the Dhandar mandir with others following suit), in autumn they celebrate Ramlila andDasehra, a shobha yatra on Valmiki Jayanti and on Diwali they hold a bharat milap shobha yatra. Unfortunately, these were scraped off the calendar due to the Covid.Bali adds, “My father refused to hold flower Holi due to the huge crowds which would turn up. Ramlila permissions were denied due to similar reasons. It didn’t even feel like Dashera was here. Temples are sans devotees who earlier flooded on Ram Navami, Janma Ashtami, Holi and Diwali.”Rajesh Malhotra, who runs Mangi Lal Malhotra Gote Wale store, laments the glummest year he has seen since the setting up of store in 1975, “Our business has been reduced to 20 per cent. Only people paying tributes to temples with costumes of gods or wedding clients are left. From Dasehra to Ramlila to Valmilki Jayanti, all festivals, shobha yatras and school functions kept us busy. But this year we didn’t even get half the usual customers.

The Tribune

2020-10-27