THIS RAVANA FEARS WATER
Titarpur Ravanwallahs say it isn’t the flaming arrows but water that’s harming Ravana effigies
Dussehra (September 30) preparations are in full swing at Titarpur. Situated between Subhash Nagar and Tagore Garden, this urban village has effigies of Ravana, Meghnath, and Kumbhakarna, coming up in different heights along the roadside. But the fear this year is of water! According to the craftsmen, who make the Raavana effigies, water due to intermittent rains is playing a spoilsport.
WATER IS THE REAL ENEMY
Most think it’s the flaming arrows that these effigies would fear the most. But, that’s not true. “The weather has been so unpredictable that rain has been the real enemy for our Ravanas. Nothing shakes the shape of the effigies, since the way we place the bamboo sticks makes the structure very strong. But the water due to rains is spoiling the paper we use to block the shapes, and decorate the effigies. It’s becoming difficult to redo the paperblocking, each time an effigy design is affected by water,” says Rahul, an effigy maker.
CUSTOMISATION RULES THE RAVANA MARKET
Raju, a member of Shankar’s team, says, “The height of effigies we make ranges between 2ft to 50ft and its cost can go upto `35,000 depending on customisation. People come with their specifications, and we do it all. We’ve even shipped effigies to various countries from here!” The makers, however, say that customisation is limited to colour and design. “People ask us to dress him up in fancy clothes like their favourite movie or animation characters. One madam asked for a Bahubali-style effigy recently... We don’t do that! It’s an insult to our annadaata (Ravana), and is not the accurate representation,” says Raju.