A lIla, a legacy

Ram, Sita, Lakshman and Ravan were not the only stars on stage at the all-women Ramlila at Peer Muchalla on Tuesday night. There was Naseem Ahmad — coach of double Olympics medalist Neeraj Chopra; Nishad Kumar — double silver medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Paralympics, Swami Rajeshwaranand and Baba Manmohan Singh. Keeping up to theme of Jadon Se Judoo — connecting to the roots — each in their own way and context gave a message of working together to strengthen India as a world power.

Amongst the robust chants of Bharat Mata Ki Jai, Jai Shri Ram and Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguruji Ki Fateh, children and elders watched in awe as Ritu Kapoor mesmerised them with her exaggerated eye rolls as Ravan. Nishad Kumar’s glittering silver medal invited happy cheers and loud screams. Stories from Guru Granth Sahib to Lord Krishna’s life depicted how values can help us navigate this increasingly materialistic life. The scenes enacted were that of Shurpanakha Lakshman Samvaad and Sita haran. Coupled with impressive light and sound design, the actors lip synced but that did not take away from the spectacle that was created with backdrop projection and stage fog.

The role of Sita was played by a class 12th girl Payal, Ram by HDFC financial advisor Pratibha Singh, Hanuman by class 11th girl Janvi Nagpal, and in Ravan’s majestic get up, looking menacing, was dance teacher Ritu Kapoor.

Ekta Nagpal, a social activist, who has brought this all-women cast together, called it as a small but definitive step towards women empowerment. “I fail to understand why our definition of women empowerment is restricted to being Western — to be able to drive the car or go out for jobs. True empowerment for me is how women can lead the society by being able and capable,” she said. One amongst as many as 45 Ramlilas running in tricity, this particular group not just had an all-women cast, but also much of the crew. Pooja managed projection for the huge crowd and live stream for their YouTube channel. Together, they offered a picture of resilience and strength. Amongst the group, the youngest to play the baal roop of Ram was six-and-a- half-month-old Manisha, while the oldest was 81-year-old Pushpa Juneja, who played Gurumata at Balmiki Ashram.

Each day of Ramlila is dedicated to a certain social cause and this one paid homage to our soldiers with the ITBP band playing for the crowd, as specially-abled children sang Ram bhajans. Amongst the other causes that became part of the spectacle were cyber safety, beti bachao, beti padhao and saving the environment. Seeing the enthusiastic response each year, Ekta proudly shared. “In our home we have three generations of women, and each one us is connected with Ramlila in one way or another.”

“It’s my second time playing Ravan. I am glad how this has given me a distinct identity. It feels great to be appreciated on stage. With so many people turning up, we have been successful in connecting the past and the present,” Ritu shared.

In their third year now as the audience figure swelled, so did the budget. This year, it was close to Rs 20-22 lakh. “The response is rousing, different sections of society contribute in different ways. What we take pride is in ensuring that our values and tradition is kept alive,” said Ekta, before hurrying back to rehearsals.

Meanwhile, many different groups are performing Ramlila in tricity and innovating. Abhishek Sharma, director, Tagore Theatre, has stayed connected to Ramlila. “This year, our writers at Uttarakhand Yuva Samiti, Sector 28, have given huge weightage to the character of Jamwant. Also, Hanuman’s portrayal in Ramlilas is traditionally aggressive, so we have tried to show his sewak bhav. Shrupnakha’s prem prastav too has been written beautifully.”