All set for burning of Ravana effigy, but rain a dampener
JAIPUR: Venues decorated, effigies installed and the city is all decked up for Dussehra festival to be celebrated on Tuesday. As the hustle to celebrate festival gears up, the innovations in the effigies will be the major attraction this year. Prior preparations for safe fireworks during the community burning of effigies in mass celebrations were carried out by the Dusshera celebration committees across the city.
However, some obstructions were faced in the preparations of Dussehra after the post-monsoon downpour through the first week of October. It rained even on Monday evening.
As per the Dussehra Mahotsav committees, not only did the people seem interested in attending huge events gathering for community burning of huge Ravana effigy, the trend for burning smaller effigy in lanes and localities is also catching up. Even as the bigger effigies did not deteriorate due to rains, the smaller ones being sold by seasonal artisans.
Gulshan Makker, member of the Dussehra Mahotsav Samiti, Adarsh Nagar said that even as the downpours on Monday were unexpected, t he i dols constructed for the celebration were placed under a polythene cover and therefore did not face any significant loss. Moreover, the idols were placed under a dome for protection. “We hope that it does not rain tomorrow,” said Makker.
Dussehra festival gathers most crowd in the community burning of idols symbolizing the victory of good over the evil. Traditionally artisans are called from all over the country t construct huge idols which burn together with fireworks. However, the smaller idols for burning were also being sold by the street vendors and shops across the city. The construction of the huge idols initiates around the month of August.