Chhindwara (Madhya Pradesh): The historic tradition of staging the Ramleela in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara, which was unperturbed even with the advent of social media, will now undergo some drastic changes - thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
The oldest Ramleela Mandal of Madhya Pradesh has upheld the tradition of staging the Ramleela in Chhindwara for the past 131 years and 2020 will mark the 132nd year.
Ramleela, which had started off with performances in lantern-lit pandals, is now illuminated with modern technologies. As the times changed, the Ramleela Mandal too transformed its way of working, but the ancient rituals and traditions remain just the way they have been. Even today, the performances are staged in the same manner as they were when Chhindwara's Ramleela began 132 years ago.
Changes brought in by Corona
Ramleela Samiti chief director Vijay Anand Dubey recalled that the Ramleela here had not been cancelled even during the imposition of emergency and neither will it stop due to Coronavirus.
"But this is the performance of the leelas of Maryada Purushottam (Lord Ram is described as a man of supreme honour), so we will also honour the decisions taken by the administration due to COVID-19," he said.
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Every year, the Ramleela used to be performed over a period of 14 days, which has been reduced to 10 days this year. Similarly, the four-hour-long daily performances will be now reduced to only 90 minutes.
However, what truly set this Ramleela apart from its predecessors is the fact that people can enjoy the performances from the comfort of their homes, as the acts will be live-streamed on YouTube.
Further, the pandemic seems to have made the unthinkable possible, as both Ram and Ravana will now be seen performing on stage with masks and face shields. Apart from this, sanitiser would be kept backstage to be used by actors and assisting volunteers. There will only be a few people with the actors in the performance area, and will be equipped with protection gear.
Only a few people will be allowed to physically attend the performance, which will be live-streamed.
According to Ram Leela Mandal president Satish Dubey, who also plays the character of Bali, the ancient Ramleela of Chhindwara was first performed in 1889. The people then had planted a Banyan tree at the spot, and since then, Ramleelas have continuously been staged.
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"Back in the day, performances were held in the light of lanterns. According to the resources that were available during that time, make-up of actors was done with coal, yellow soil, ochre, and chalk. But times have now changed. In the era of modern media, it is a big challenge to bring audiences to the pandal. However, we are working tirelessly to bring people in, and make them learn from Lord Ram ideals, so that they stay connected to their culture and traditions."
- Satish Dubey, President, Ramleela Mandal
400 people together perform Ramleela
A team of about 400 people work for the Ramleela Mandal. Preparations begin a month in advance, as people get involved in their assigned duties. All the people working in Ramleela are associated with different jobs or businesses, but they all come together during this time of the year to keep the tradition going.
The biggest feature of this Ramleela is that not one but four generations will be performing here. Vinod Vishwakarma, who works as a postmaster at the post office and plays the role of Ravana, says that he has been performing in the Ramleela for the last 49 years and has been playing Ravana for the past 24 years. His own third generation is now a part of this Ramleela.
3D effects used in Ramleela
With the changing times, Ramleela too has altered its techniques. Initially, when there was no electricity, the Ramleela was performed in the light of the lanterns, but now, 3D effects are created with the help of technology. Certain scenes that are difficult to depict on stage are filmed beforehand by the actors in Chhindwara and then they are shown on screen.
