E-Paper
Covid shadow: Kashi’s famous Ramlila not to be held for second year in row
The royal family of Kashi, the organiser of the Ramlila, decided to not hold the over 200- year-old event keeping in mind the fallout of the pandemic
The world famous Ramlila of Ramnagar will not be staged in Varanasi this year for the second consecutive time after the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country in March last year. The royal family of Kashi, the organiser of the Ramlila, decided to not hold the over 200- year-old event keeping in mind the fallout of the pandemic. Kunwar Anant Narayan Singh of the royal family of Kashi informed commissioner of police, Varanasi, A Satish Ganesh about the decision of the family through a letter.
The letter addressed to the commissioner reads, “This is to inform you that keeping in mind the present scenario (Covid-19 pandemic), like last year this year too, it has been decided to postpone (cancel) the famous Ramnagar’s Ramlila so that the people of Kashi are protected from the viral infection by fulfilling the Covid-19 guidelines.”
A senior police officer said a letter was received on Wednesday about the decision of the royal family to postpone the Ramlila this year. Though the event was not staged last year too, Chaupais (couplets) of Ramcharitmanas were recited from Anant Chaturdashi for the next one month.
Vijay Yadav Ballu, who likes watching Ramlila, said, “I am disappointed over the cancellation of the historical Ramlila. I hope that Covid-19 ends and next year the famous Ramlila is staged in a grand manner.”
Traditionally, the Ramlila begins on Anant Chaturdashi in Ramnagar every year and continues for 31 days. It is held under the open sky every evening till midnight. Lanterns are lit up for the people to enjoy the festivities. This year, Anant Chaturdashi is falling on September 19.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has also recognised the event as an intangible world cultural heritage. The Ramlila is staged in the backdrop of the Ramnagar fort under the autumn sky. Traditional lamps are the only source of light, which lends an ethereal feeling to the natural surroundings.
Each year, children are selected and training is imparted to hone their dramatic skills so that they can play protagonist Lord Rama and other central characters such as Goddess Sita, Laxman, Bharat and Shatrughan. In the last 238 years, this is the second occasion when the Ramlila of Ramnagar has been cancelled.
