Covid gloom takes a back seat as Ramlila marks 65th anniversary in Delhi

Putting together a dance-drama, one that uniquely fuses several forms of classical music and dances, martial and acrobatic arts, masks and make-up styles, requires months of preparation

Putting together a dance-drama, one that uniquely fuses several forms of classical music and dances, martial and acrobatic arts, masks and make-up styles, requires months of preparation. It is a formidable task in the best of times, more so when a pandemic has bound up the city. And yet, the immensely talented artistes of the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra (SBKK), which organises the cultural extravaganza “Shri Ram” every year, remain unfazed.

Artistes engaged in last minute preparations backstage at Mandi House in New Delhi on Thursday (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

Even last year, when the fear of Covid was at its height and almost all Ramlilas were cancelled, SBKK managed to stage the “Shri Ram”, a ballet that manages to leave its audience spellbound and awed, year after year. And this year is no different.

As the clock strikes six on Thursday evening, the long queue of restless people waiting outside the Shri Ram Kala Kendra trickles in to be greeted by the sound of soft hymns playing in the seating area. They quickly find their seats, placed at a distance from each other owing to Covid-19 concerns, and settle in. Slowly, silence reigns as all eyes turn to the stage for the curtains to go up on “Shri Ram”.

In contrast, a flurry of activity is taking place backstage. Elaborate jewellery and costumes are laid out in the green room as artistes essaying the different roles allow assistants to give them last-minute touch-ups. Among them is Raj Kumar, a Chhau dancer, who has been playing the central character of Ram for the production for the past 25 years.

Kumar said the team is excited to reconnect with the audience. “Since the pandemic situation is better this time, we are hoping to see a larger turnout -- last year, the fear was palpable and people wary of stepping out. We are excited and look forward to entertaining the audience,” he said.

As he and the other artistes go about fixing their jewellery and costumes, Shobha Deepak Singh, the brain behind the “Shri Ram” walks in. Since the past five decades, the cultural doyen has been directing the fusion dance-drama that is attended without fail by the who’s who of Delhi.

“Even when the world came to a standstill last year, we ensured that “Shri Ram” continued to interact with audiences. This time, we started preparations in the beginning of September with fully vaccinated artistes. To cut the risk of transmission, our artistes stayed at the hostel on the premises,” said Singh, as she fixes the jewellery of an artiste.

“While the Ramlila is on stage for a fixed number of days, the preparations continue throughout the year. It’s an ongoing process. Every time I see the performance, I am able to spot areas where we can improve further,” said Singh, who has her eye on the minutest of details.

First started in 1957, the “Shri Ram”marks its 65th anniversary this year. Over the years, it has seen a number of innovations as it kept pace with the changing trends. This year too, the Ramlila has incorporated a number of new elements.

“This year, “Shri Ram” has a special background music, adopted from the older version of our own Ramlila. The choreography and jewellery have also been tweaked. The SBKK is perhaps the only institution that does not have to purchase anything from outside -- be it costumes, ornaments or jewellery. Both the jewellery and ornaments are specially designed by our in-house experts who have been associated with us for the past several decades,” said Singh.

Staying true to its tradition of having artistes from across India, this year, too, the Ramlila has actors from the different states and also from countries such as Nepal and Bangladesh. A fusion of different dance forms and martial arts styles, ranging from Bharatanatyam and Kalaripayattu to Chhau, will enthral the audience during the nearly two-hour long production that will be staged daily till October 20.

This time, a number of students of SBKK have been roped in to play crucial characters in the ballet. “We have around 20 students of our own who have been involved in the production. This is a great opportunity for them and will give them a lot of exposure,” said Singh.

Sapan Majumdar, 41, who has been playing the character of Ravana for the past 25 years, said the production is a huge morale booster for artistes who faced financial hardships during the pandemic. The return of “Shri Ram” would herald the beginning of better times, he hoped.

“At the end of the day, every artiste craves the stage and the audience. We perform for the audience and it’s a matter of pride for us to carry forward our legacy year after year. We hope that with this year’s production, we will be able to tide over the gloom of the pandemic,” said Majumdar, as he rushes to join the other artistes for the inaugural session of the ballet. And just like that, the cultural extravaganza came alive.