Politicians to share stage with actors at Ramlila in Old Delhi
IN A FIRST Punjab MP Vijay Sampla, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari, councillor Shobha Vijender to go on stage
In a break with tradition, politicians will share stage with film and televisions actors in Ramlila at Red Fort this year.
One of the oldest Ramlila organisers in the Walled City — Luv Kush Ramlila Committee (LKRC) —has engaged members of Parliament and councillors to play mythological characters in the theatrical enactment of Ramayana.
Union minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Vijay Sampla, who is an MP from Hoshiyarpur in Punjab, will portray Nishad Raj. The Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician and Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari will play the role of Angad and Shobha Vijender, a councillor from Rohini central ward and BJP leader Vijender Gupta’s wife, will be seen as Ahilya.
“The organiser approached me with their offer, which I accepted. This is the first time; I am participating in any Ramlila. It is a small role therefore does not require rigorous rehearsal. I am looking forward to my performance,” Sampla told Hindustan Times.
Shobha said with her participation, she wants to convey a message that Ramlila is our cultural heritage and we must preserve it. “Until people from different sections of the society do not come forward, we cannot send the true message of Lord Ram to masses. It was also necessary to bust the myth that Ramlilas only belong to commoners or poor people. I took it as a challenge. As I had been doing theatre during college days, it was not that difficult for me,” she said.
North Delhi mayor Preeti Agarwal and her counterpart in east Delhi Neema Bhagat are also likely to play important characters at LKRC’s event, which is starting from September 21.
LKRC, one of the four big Ramlila organisers in old Delhi, was started in 1988. It soon gained popularity after Bollywood actors and celebrities were invited for the play. Since 2015, films and TV artistes have been acting in LKRC’s Ramlila.
Ramlilas began in Delhi around 350 years ago. The event is attended Prime Ministers, Presidents, and other dignitaries.
“Our motto is that people from every walk of life should contribute to the cause. Their involvement may be in three forms — tann (body), mann (soul / heart), and dhan (wealth). We wanted to take it to the next level so we invited politicians,” said Ashok Agarwal, president of LKRC.
Around 50 film and television actors are participating in LKRC. To make war scenes impressive and live, the committee has roped in a Lucknow based magician Hasan Kamal Rizvi, who is essaying the role of Narantak.
Apart from Rizvi, a few more Muslim actors—Raza Murad, Shahbaz Khan, and Ali Khan, will be acting in LKRC’s Ramlila.
The organiser has planned various cultural activities such as daily dance performance by a different troupe everyday and is also bringing winners of beauty pageant of more than 56 countries to attract the crowd. Manoj Tiwari has written and composed two new songs for the event.
“Earlier, I would play Kevat but when Ravi Kishen joined, he took the role. This year, he will do Narad. I am appearing as Angad. Acting in Ramlila gives immense pleasure and satisfaction,” said Tiwari. Vishal Karwal, who plays Krishna in a TV serial, has been roped to play Ram at LKRC.
One of special features at LKRC is its massive stage. “The stage is divided into seven parts, which are basically different sets depicting palace, forest, sea, village, and battlefield. We will create new sets everyday as the story progresses,” Ashok said.
While the LKRC has invited celebrities, the Shri Dharmic Leela Committee (SDLC), established in 1924, has decided to stick to traditional form of Ramlila enactment. It has invited a popular troupe of actors from Moradabad led by Pradeep Sharma this year too. The highlight of this Ramlila is ‘hasya kavi sammelan’ and ‘Janak Bazaar’, where people enjoy delicacies of old Delhi. “We remain with the basic. The emphasis is on the life of Lord Ram and his teachings. We keep rotating ‘episodes’ to maintain freshness. We don’t bother about actors. We don’t want whistles but applause,” said Ravi Jain, press secretary, SDLC.
Another group, Nav Shri Dharmik Lila Committee (NSDLC) is one of the oldest organisations as has been doing Ramlila in Old Delhi for decades.
NSDLC president Hari Agrawal said episodes related to birth of Ram and Kaikeyi are enacted only in his Ramlila. “A very few people have knowledge about those episodes. We recreate the entire Ramyana beautifully, which leaves an impression on people,” said Hari.
NSDLC has engaged nearly 40 traditional Muradabad artistes, including a few actors from Mumbai. “The actors from Mumbai don’t come because of the publicity or money. They join us because before starting their professional career in Bollywood, they were associated with our Ramlila. It is their way of expressing gratitude,” Hari added.
Apart from the play, ‘Ramlila Savaari’, a procession, is an integral part of the Ramlila held at Ramlila Maidan. The 12 day-long feature begins with first day of the Navratras and continues till Bharat Milap, the day after Dussehra.
The Shri Ramlila Committee (SRC), Ramlila Maidan, organises it. On all 12 evenings, a set of floats ferry artistes dressed as Ram, Lakshman, Sita, and Raavan from Esplanade Road in Chandni Chowk. The three-hourlong journey starts at 6pm.