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Lifelike scowl, new attire: Brace for a more menacing Ravana effigy in Ludhiana this Dussehra
A craft spanning generations, effigy-making is finding ways to reinvent itself within the busy Ludhiana corridors ahead of this year’s Dussehra
A craft spanning generations, effigy-making is finding ways to reinvent itself within the busy city corridors. This Dussehra, the Ravana at Daresi ground — famed for hosting the city’s tallest effigy, is once again set to ramp up the festive excitement with a revamped look.
The 110-ft tall ‘rakshasa’ king will be dressed in a combat suit instead of the traditional sherwani attire and boast of a 15-ft long moustache.
Compared to last year, the height of the effigy has been increased by 10 ft. The size of the moustache, meanwhile, has also been doubled to lend a more menacing look on the face.
With October 5 fast approaching, the artists involved in making the Ravana effigy are now working on the lending finishes to the facial expressions to make the effigy look more life-like.
Sohel Khan, a resident of Agra who has moved his business to the city to make Ravana effigies for the Daresi ground celebrations for the past 19 years, said, “This time, we have tried to experiment with the attire of Ravana. While earlier it used to be dressed in a sherwani, this year, it will be clad in a proper battle-suit and wield a traditional shield and belt as we want to make it look as if it was in a real battle.”
“We are trying to make it look more menacing and shoulders also have been broadened this time,” he added.
Khan said his family has been involved in effigy-making for generations, and every year, he gets multiple orders from the city.
“We are making effigies at nine venues in Ludhiana including Agar-Nagar, Mullapur, Upkar Nagar and Gurdev Nagar. We brought all the materials, including bamboo on a truck from Agra and the paper has been ordered from Mumbai,” he added.
The effigies of other mythic characters Meghnath and Kumbhkaran are 60 ft tall.
A Shri Ram Lila Committee Daresi representative said the centuries-old Dussehra fair at the Daresi ground witnesses a footfall of around 10 lakh people over its 21-day course.
“Due to the pandemic last year, the duration of the fair had been reduced to 11 days, this time, it will start from September 15 onwards and go on till October 6. A huge procession will be carried out throughout the city on September 29, along with other activities,” committee president Dinesh Marwaha said.
Talking about the effigies, Marwaha said, “Every year we try to increase the size of the effigies. We host the tallest Ravana made of bamboo and paper in Punjab, this year the effigies cost around ₹3 lakh.”
“We have sent the letters to different departments including the municipal corporation, the police department, and the district commissioner for making arrangements and have asked the contractor to ensure all requisite safety measures,” said Kamal Bassi, a committee member.
With the festive fervour running high, the number of Dussehra fairs and Ravan Dehan in the city are also set to go up this year. The size of the effigies has also been increased by 5 to 10 feet at Dussehra grounds in Aggar Nagar, Upkar Nagar, Rajguru Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Giaspura, Doraha and Mullanpur.
The police department officials, however, said the process for handing out permits to the organisers is yet to begin. Last year, as many as 23 ramleela committees had taken consent from the police department for Ravans dehan.
