October 22, 2020 10:51:35 am
The dance-drama ‘Shri Ram’, to be performed at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra Lawns from October 17 to 27 (Photo expresses: Amit Mehra)
On the stage of Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra Lawns, one of the few places in Delhi to host a live Ramlila this year, a furious Kaikeyi is dancing. Outraged at the prospect of being Kausalya’s second, she swindled a baajuband and throws it away. The next to go is a necklace. The ornaments fall off the stage, where someone discreetly picks them up.
In the Covid-aware audience, there are gasps. It’s hard not to think about the contact this has caused: a dancer on the floor with someone else’s hands. A similar discomfort is palpable as Bharat slides across the stage to fall at Ram’s feet.
Read also | From the banks of the Yamuna, Ramlila socially estranged debuts on YouTube
The performers and the director-choreographer of the show, however, maintain that they took all the precautions.
Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra (SBKK) has been performing her dance drama ‘Shri Ram’ for 64 years. This time, as Covid-19 put a question mark on the live event, the institute’s director and choreographer of the drama, Padma Shri Shobha Deepak Singh, was confident that the show had to go on. “The trials started in July, online. We decided that if we don’t get permission to mount it, we will put Ramlila on YouTube, ”says Singh.
The permit came a few days before the actual event. By now, the artists had rehearsed to perfection. What does it take to put on a play during a pandemic? Was there fear, panic?
Singh says: “We cannot allow fear to put our lives on hold. I was sure we could take all precautions and still put on the show. We have our own dressing room and the stage is inside the institute facilities, so those were advantages. But of course some things were different. I don’t like our recorded performances. This time, three cameras would film each artist. “
All Jatayu costumes, jewels, accessories, crowns, swords, wings, were sanctified before and after use. Everyone related to dance was tested for Covid, in September, and again just before the live event began on the first day of Navratri.
Ram with his three brothers and weapons that needed to be disinfected before the show. (Express photo: Amit Mehra)
For the public, masks and temperature detection are mandatory. There are two empty seats between each spectator, with a limit of 100 people. The show is beautiful. As Ram breaks the dhanush and marries Sita, a member of the audience grabs his chair. Once the spell is broken, he quickly disinfects his hands.
Between the exile of Ram and the beginning of vanvaas, there is a break. In the green rooms, the artists are busily changing for the next act. Aren’t you afraid of sharing such a space?
“While we were on stage, all the items in here were disinfected,” says Madhvi Mohanta, who plays Sita. “We are interpreters, we lacked the stage. Also, we can count on each other to take precautions. We have been students together at SBKK, so there is a level of comfort. “
“Yes, Kaikeyi here is from Bangladesh. But she came to SBKK and now she’s married to Raavan, ”says one of the dancers.
King Dashrath tries to placate Queen Kaikeyi, played by Suchita Das Tithi of Bangladesh. (Express photo: Amit Mehra)
It wasn’t just the artists who had to take precautions. The manager of the beautifully lit stage, Gyandev Singh, ensured special care. “All of our equipment was disinfected. We work with fewer people to minimize risk. It was difficult.”
So why did he do it?
Gyandev, winner of the Sangeet Natak Academy Bismillah Khan Yuva Prize, says he had good reason. “The pandemic is a dark and difficult time. Art brings light. We hope that the successful and safe execution of this show will set off the march for cultural events to resume in the capital. “
“Oh, there’s one more difference the pandemic caused,” Singh laughs. “We were able to pay Gyandev.”
Mehrauli misses Ramlila’s union
Away from the SBKK lawn on Copernicus Marg is Mehrauli District # 1, where Classic Ramlila, Dussehra’s annual event, was canceled. This means loss in more ways than one: a teenager has lost the opportunity to magically gain height. “We cast a boy with a small build to play Sita. But whoever plays the role becomes impressively tall in a few years, ”says Neeraj, in charge of the actors’ makeup.
The Ramlila Classic has been performed since the early 1990s. It was stopped for a few years after the 1997 Delhi explosions, but was resumed again at popular request. However, this year, Ramlila members say, the risk was too great.
Ram and Kumbhkaran take a selfie after last year’s performance. (Photo courtesy: Bharat Kumar)
Permission to act was difficult to come by this year. But again, there was no way we could guarantee that only 100 people would show up at a time. Or that everyone wore masks. Such things cannot be guaranteed in old neighborhoods like ours, ”says Bharat Kumar, who plays Ram.
Classic Ramlila is a labor of love, says Kumar. All the artists have other jobs, but during Navratri, their lives revolve around the Ramlila, cleaning the stage in the afternoon, organizing Mata ki aarti and then putting on the show, which continues until late at night. There are no ticket prices, contributions are voluntary. “Ensuring liters of disinfectants and temperature sensing devices was not a practical proposition for us,” says Paras, who plays Kevat, Shravan Kumar and Vibhishan as well, if the situation calls for it.
Furthermore, the Ramlila here implies a different social contact from the more formal setting at SBKK. “When Hanuman jee destroys the Ashok Vatika of Lanka, he throws the fruits at the spectators (real fruits are bought for this). When Taraka takes the stage, she pretends to snatch the children from the audience, ”says Jitendra Kumar, who plays Taraka and other demons, as needed.
Could they have opted for a more restrained show this time? “Where is the fun in that?” asks Lokesh Dutt, Ramlila’s manager.
The members take pride in their Ramlila. It is so popular, they claim, that people come to see it at the largest and most elegant show in the area. Ramji’s son, Class 3 student Shreyansh, offers tests. “Even people my age stay awake until the show is over. It’s so good that our parents allow us to stay outside. “
Ram and Laxman last year with a vaanar, played by Ayaan Ahmed from the neighborhood. (Photo courtesy: Bharat Kumar)
This year, the artists are sad because they will not be able to show their prowess. “We, of course, miss being on the stage, the preparations, the improvisations on site. But more than that, we miss the bonding festival that Ramlila eventually becomes. People of all religions are welcome. Throughout the year, we are busy with our lives. But during navratri, the whole neighborhood comes out, people catch up. Relationships are refreshed, ”says Bharat Kumar.
Covid’s precautions would have meant restricting all of this. Also, Ramlila is a driver of the local economy, and tea and snack vendors do good business. Coronavirus safety guidelines would require removing all of that. “The Ramlila would be mediocre, while the risk would have been enormous. It was better not to move on, ”says Paras.
“The salvation is that the IPL is activated,” says Lokesh Dutt. “Stay home and watch the players behind the screen. The only entertainment we can safely afford with this year’s Raavan, the pandemic. “
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and keep up to date with the latest headlines
For the latest news from Delhi, download the Indian Express app.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
.
