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Chandigarh: Cash-starved Ramlilas struggling to stay afloat
Most Ramlilas have asked their patrons, the viewers, and even performers to donate funds to run the Ramlila
Even though most Ramlilas have started in the city, organisers are adopting the no-frills approach owing to a major cash crunch in post-Covid times.
The Ramlila in Vikas Nagar of Mauli Jagran remains the worst affected, so much so that the organisers have decided not to open the show this year owing to a shortage of funds.
One of the organisers, Bobby Mehta, said, “For organising a Ramlila, we need a minimum ₹2 lakh. I run a tea stall in Ram Darbar, but I would still contribute ₹50,000 per year. Now, none of us have that kind of money.”
Mehta added that it was unfortunate that political parties never hesitated to use their stage for spreading their own political messages in the past, but none had come forward to help them. “Conducting a Ramlila every year is a sacred service, but it is out of our hands now. I hope people can help us next year. In 2020 too, we were unable to hold the Ramlila,” he said.
Recycling costumes to save costs
From the OCF Sanskritic Manch, Sector 29, senior artiste Jyoti Bhardwaj said, “In previous years we would have three to four musicians, but this year we are using pre-recorded music to save on costs.” He added that they were also re-using the costumes from previous years and no money was spent on new dresses or props.
Most Ramlilas have asked their patrons, the viewers, and even the performers to donate funds to run the Ramlila.
BP Gaur with the Garhwal Ramleela Avam Sanskritic Mandal in Sector 22C said that the performers had contributed ₹10,000 of their own to keep the Ramlila running. “Performing the Ramlila is a sacred duty. While times are difficult we will keep the show on the simpler side, but we won’t give up,” he said.
Some Ramlila organisations are also disheartened by the donations they are receiving. Vice-president of the Sector-20 Ramlila, Ashok Choudhary, said, “Definitely there is an effect on the spending capacity of people and they can mostly only spare around ₹500. Even some of our donors with the deepest pockets have been more cautious with their money this time. Earlier we would receive donations over ₹1 lakh, but now they haven’t gone over ₹21,000.”
Director of the Sector-17 Ramlila, Rajinder Bagga, however said that even though the organisers themselves had to put in money, he was inspired by how people were still helping them even when they were facing problems of their own, and Ramlilas were also working with what they had to do their best.
