Ramlila to have int’l flavour this year
Troupe from Thailand will also enact the epic at Aishbagh ground
The biggest and the oldest Ramlila ground of Lucknow is all set to don international hues this season. Apart from a group of artistes from Kolkata enacting the Hindu epic, a troupe from Thailand would also stage the Ramlila at the venue in Aishbagh area here.
And while the Thailand troupe would be here, artistes from Ayodhya would perform Ramlila in Fiji and New Zealand.
“The international exchange of Ramlila performances is being facilitated by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). This will give people a chance to witness a new flavour of Ramlila this season,” said YP Singh of Ayodhya Research Institute who would be leading the Ayodhya troupe to Fiji.
Talking about the uniqueness of the Thailand Ramlila, he added, “The unique part of Thailand Ramlila is that it is performed in a ballet style, which begins with the ‘Sita Haran’ episode.”
The backdrop of the stage at the Aishbagh Ramlila ground in Lucknow would be a replica of Thailand style of architecture.
Aditya Dwivedi, secretary of the organising committee, said: “Every year, we give a theme to the backdrop of the stage. This year, we decided to have the Thailand theme. The golden structure will be a replica of the temples in Thailand.”
Ramlila at the Aishbagh ground would begin on October 1 while the Thailand troupe would perform here on October 13.
For special affects in the Ramlila, LED screens, prerecorded sound effects and animated background effects would be used for Ram and Ravan fight, ‘Lanka Dahan’, ‘Sanjeevani Booti scenes etc. The Aishbagh Ramlila Samiti has also decided to give a new look to the Ravan effigy this year.
“We have decided to give a complete Lanka look to the 121-feet effigy this year. It will be draped in satin attires. Ornaments of hardboard coated with gold and silver papers will also be put on the effigy,” added Dwivedi.
“We believe that with the burning of the effigy the ills of the society are also destroyed. A theme is given to Ravan’s effigy every year. previous years’ themes included corruption, crime against women, cow slaughter etc, but this year’s theme is yet to be decided,” said Dwivedi.