Ram for 23 years, Ravana this season
This season, Bhardwaj, the chief organiser who runs a pharma business, will don the ‘avatar’ of the Ravana for the first time, after having enacting the role of Ram for 23 years.
Only Ram can reveal what his Lila means. A visit to the Ordnance Cable Factory (OCF) Sanskritik Manch, Sector 29-A in Chandigarh, and a look at their preparation for this year’s Ramlila makes you realise this truth.
Meet Jyoti Bhardwaj, 42, son of one of the founding members SS Sharma. The Manch was formed in 1967. This season, Bhardwaj, the chief organiser who runs a pharma business, will don the ‘avatar’ of the Ravana for the first time, after having enacting the role of Ram for 23 years.
“My father always played the Ravana, I have taken his place. Otherwise, I think I still have the physique necessary to portray Ram for another two-three years.” Bhardwaj adds.
This Ramlila also brings people from different faiths together. Sanwar Khan has been associated with the production for around 13 years, playing the role of Sita. A devout Muslim, for him, his religion is separate from his religious beliefs.
“While growing up I was never taught to belittle another religion. My family is supportive of me, what anyone else says is their opinion,” he says, adding that his enjoyment while watching shows about Ramayana and Mahabharata on TV fuelled the desire to be part of Ramlila.
Harvinder Singh, 37, a beautician, has been working in this production since 1990. “I loved reading about the Ramayana as a kid, and my feelings as a Sikh aren’t affected by participating in the Ramlila. I believe it is important to align yourself with other beliefs.”
He specialises in female roles of Ramlila; he has played roles like Sita and Tara and will be playing the role of Shurpanakha this year.
Revolving stage
This Ramlila is unique for having brought in a revolving stage to the region. Introduced in 1984 and manually-operated, it is capable of staging four scenes and needs about two-three minutes and three people to steer across scenes.
“We prefer to stick with our manually-operated system even in the time of automation, as our system is reliable,” adds Bhardwaj.