Dussehra @home: A creative twist to festivities
Giant Ravana effigies being burnt, crowds gathered at Ramlila performances, and firework displays lighting up the sky — Dussehra without these is hard to imagine for Delhiites. However, things have changed in the wake of the pandemic. With hardly any big-scale celebrations around, to curb crowding, residents of Delhi-NCR are ensuring their young ones don’t miss out on the festivities from home. From making mini Ravana effigies to reading books on Ramayana, kids in the city are being taught about the victory of good over evil in new ways.
“We bought a DIY Ravana kit, and have spent the last few days working on it. It’s all set to be lit up today,” says Noidabased Neha Dani, parent of a 10-year-old, Anushree. Neha adds, “My daughter will write a bad habit she wants to get rid of, and we will put that in the fire.” Jahanvi Kabra, curator of one such DIY kit, informs, “We started getting orders for these about 20 days ago, and we have sold about 700 of them, just in Delhi! Anyone above the age of two-and-a-half years can participate in making it.” Some have even put a thoughtful twist to the celebrations. Ruchika Madan from Shalimar Bagh says, “My daughter (an eighth grader) loves festivals and writes poems or stories on them. So, we’ll either write a poem on Dussehra or paint.” Gurugram-based Priyanka Seth, who has two daughters aged five and six, plans to read tales of Ramayana to them. “We’ve got a kids’ Ramayana book that we’ll re-read. Plus, I have books on Goddess Kali and Saraswati.” she says.