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‘Ramji’ plays Sita, Ravana is also Dasharatha: Artistes go all out in bringing mythology to life
Keeping alive the long tradition of young men essaying female roles in Ramlilas, 18-year-old Ramji Yadav plays Sita in the popular Aggar Nagar Ramlila
Keeping alive the long tradition of young men essaying female roles in Ramlilas, 18-year-old Ramji Yadav plays Sita in the popular Aggar Nagar Ramlila.
Yadav, who hails from Krishna’s city Vrindavan, is part of a travelling theatre troupe (natak mandali), Brijkala Adarsh Ram Krishna Leela Sansthan, that performs Ramlilas and Krishna Raslilas across the country. Itis one of the troupes from Vrindavan and Amethi that are performing across city.
The young actor, who has only studied till Class 7, says, “I had to discontinue studies after my mother passed away. However, I have fulfilled my childhood desire to join a theatre troupe and play female roles. Acting is akin to prayer for me. I have been playing female roles since the age of 11. Apart from Sita, I also essay the roles of Meera, Yashodha and Radha I have been associated with many different troupes over the years.”
He says it was because of his love for Lord Krishna that he developed an interest in the art form. “I am a devotee of Lord Krishna and keep an idol of Thakurji with me where ever I go. People accord me with a lot of respect for the roles I play. Last month, a woman presented me with an idol of Krishna made of eight medals,” he proudly says.
Asked if he has any other interests, he says, “I learn English in my spare time.”
Artistes juggle roles with elan
The director Rajesh Sharma says, “We have been performing at Aggar Nagar for the past 20 years. We have 23 artistes in our troupe, all of them from Vrindavan. As the city boasts of around 500 theatre troupes, the actors have years of experience in playing multiple roles and performing other tasks such as hair and makeup. For instance, Kartar, who plays the role of Ravana, also plays the role of Dasharatha and Kans.”
Laughter galore
Borrowing from Shakespeare, this year the troupe has added the character of a court jester to provide some comic relief.
The actor, Bal Krishan, says, “My character was not part of the script initially. However, it was added to introduce some hilarity in tense situations. For instance, when Ravana roars ‘Khamosh’, I respond with ‘Aaya hosh?’ (Have you come to your senses?). Children love my character, and often repeat and complete my dialogues,” he says.
Guardians of a legacy
Deepak Bhardwaj, who plays the role of Lord Ram, started acting when he was merely 12 years old and has been part of several Ramlila troupes. On the popularity of televised versions of the Ramayana, he says, “I have received offers to work in television, but I chose to continue to perform in temples to carry forth our culture and legacy.”
The crowning glory
Each year, the artistes receive new costumes on Dussehra. This year, the star cast Ram, Sita and Lakshmana have received new crowns from Banaras, which cost around ₹40,000.
Manager Rajesh Sharma says the costumes of the main characters cost around ₹15,000. “It takes around ₹5,00,000 to put up a production.”
