Ankit Chadha - Ramlila in Delhi

PRODUCTION AND ITS ECONOMICS

PROPS AND PREPARATIONS
PROCESSION AND PROFESSION

PROPS AND PREPARATIONS:

(The sequence of exemplary devotion
of Shabri towards Lord Rama being played.)

Exaggerated jewellery (the headgear being of prime importance as far as the royal characters are concerned), costumes and make - up are some of the distinct charcteristics of traditional threatre. The drama part of if is characterized by popular folk tales, music, mime, poetry and epic narrations.

With developments in communication technology, over the time, we have witnessed the emergence of many newer forms of communication. While media such as animation, video and special effects pose a tough competition to the traditional medium of stage, some of the bigger productions have adopted these techniques to enhance their popularity and simultaneously, enlarge the scale of the show. And, with the sponsors pouring in the money, funds are not an issue. Resources are, increasingly, being spent on mechanical stage properties.

(The Ramlila atmosphere is all set to take a leap
as the show awaits the glamorous demon Ravana.)

Besides, with the crowds growing larger, mass communication has also come into use. Lavkush Ramlila Committee collaborated with the TV Channel Saadhana broadcasting live telecast of its performances. The same committee is the only Ramlila committee having a website. This tool, too was exploited well with 30-minute clips of all days of Ramlila performance being uploaded for online viewers.

Others, not so hi-tech, employed giant screens to cater their huge audience. It is not an easy task to manage such large crowds. That is why the Close circuit TV cameras were installed at some of the venues.

(Lord Rama and his younger brother at the
side of Jatayu (in his last moments)
Notice the use of feathers used
for the costuming of Jatayu.)

Though, it must not be assumed that the IT revolution has brought about a break with the past. Such an argument cannot be taken. Take the Chitrakoot presentation. Conventions continue to be the deciding factor in areas like costuming and make-up. For the scenes of forest exile, natural ornaments such as parrot feather crown for Lakshmana with garlands made of  tulsi  leaves are, still, chosen as the best embellishments.

Even today, in many of the old productions, male members continue to portray female characters on stage. This tradition, however, is endangered.
Similarly, in the Ramnagar Ramlila, till date, 12 ramayanis chant from the first word of Manas till the birth of Ravana before starting with the theatrical portion of the lila. It is natural in the form of prepared environments as per the demand of setup required for a particular scene is exceptional. Scholars and tourists from around the world make it a point to visit Ramnagar during their trip to India in the Ashvin month.

PROCESSION AND PROFESSION :

(Mansingh Halwai drew large crowds
to the Ramlila in Chandni Chowk.)

While Ramlila may appear to be a leisure activity, it means business to some. Can you believe it? a halwai who buys a space for the 10-day festival at the venue pays as much as Rs. 20 lakhs. The commerce is more strategic. Although they might not even recover their costs out of the sales during Ramlila, the event serves as a medium of brand credibility and results in huge profits through orders throughout the year.

At a small level too, the festival provides seasonal employment to many. The best example can be the people in Benaras who run the boats that take the spectators across the river Ganga for the performances in Ramnagar.

Similarly, acting troupes, technicians and effigy-makers (a number of them can be found in Tilak Nagar in West Delhi during the month that precedes the event) earn a living out of the celebrations.

Finding it difficult to meet enough artists (as most of them come from outside Delhi or are temporary in the field with no organized association), I tried taking some clues out of the shopkeepers in Kinari Bazar (who too make some business out of Ramlila).
However, they viewed me with suspicion after my enquiry about the amount and composition of sales. Soon, I was shooed away as they feared me to be a tax inspector.

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