Siya-Ram in new avatars

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Siya-Ram in new avatars

Thursday, 03 October 2019 | Chahak Mittal

Siya-Ram in new avatars

Decades-old Ramlilas in the city are upgrading themselves by using technology and presenting fresh perspectives on the epic through its various characters, says Chahak Mittal

From the identity of an individual, the spirit of sacrifice to the significance of a family and the sanctity of a society, Ramayana stays ever-relevant in the current times. Which is why its depiction through theatrical acts has evolved as a culture over the years to celebrate the victory of Ram against Ravan.

Among the many Ramlilas that make the rounds in the city, some of them stand out for their contemporaneity. Like Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra’s 63rd edition of its dance drama, Sampoorna Ramlila Shri Ram, this year. Says Shobha Deepak Singh, director and vice chairperson, “I have used new dance styles and choreography and martial techniques. We have opted for more innovative designs for the stage, music, lighting. I specially designed the costumes myself this time. Keeping pace with the technology, we have enriched our stage with an LED wall displaying stunning scenes and animated visuals in the background, lending a 3D effect to the sets.”

However, why is it that epic stays so relevant to our times? Singh says, “People are losing their sense of values today. This epic talks about the wisdom of several gurus and maharishis. And if those words could be made available to people through acts, music and dance, what could be better? Navratri is about renewing our pledge. Divinity is just a content for self-awareness.”

She adds, “Working on Ram has been tiring but never exhausting for here freedom comes to light and dreams became a reality. I am very much into this Ramlila. I think what I have created is very special and sacred for me,” she says. For her, it became an enriching experience right from the start, when she, as a teenager, first saw her first depiction, where “fluid fabrics transformed into structured costumes, flowers garlanded around the stage, raw materials built up a palace.” It all immensely impacted her mind, she adds, “so much so that the memories drive me through the chapters of the Ramayana every passing year. The journey of Sampoorna Ramlila over all these years is also my journey as an artist, a producer and as a custodian of cultural heritage.”

The Aryan Heritage Foundation’s Broadway-style Ramlila, Sampurn Ramayana, is increasingly becoming popular among the youth. The reason — its efficient use of modern media and technology, more modified and refined storytelling techniques, and a fast-paced run. The complete epic is acted every day for three hours. Creator and president, Rajender Mittal, says, “Over the years, we observed how the footfalls at other traditional Ramlilas slowly went down. People stopped coming and enjoying the epic tale being told in episodes spread over nine days. They found it slow and boring. So, here, they can come and watch it as one whole experience. It’s extremely spiritual, urging each one to connect with the almighty first and then with their inner self. Also, when you try to up your game every year, eventually, it is evident with the kind of response you get. We have a footfall of around 10,000 people everyday.”

From Udit Narayan to Kailash Kher, the Ramlila also makes space for original music composers to create their tunes and weave them into the plot. Taking about what is new in the three-year-old Ramlila this time, Saurabh Mittal, vice-president, says that they have used massive multi-layered stage and LED screens to create an illusory experience for the audience for them to imbibe the essence of the show “as if they were living” through it. The foundation this time has also added more dynamism by designing new vibrant costumes for a much larger group of artists and has fortified it with new soundtracks keeping the original as its soul. “The performers will be performing on all seven stages. We also have introduced a 5.1 surround sound system, which enables the sound from the mic amplify to different places in the auditorium rather than just being at one place. This way, even the one who is sitting at the back would have the same sound and music experience. A lot of new music tracks — 17 — have been launched by the music director Chandra Kamal ji.”

The epic is known to be relevant due its story that embodies timeless values and inspires us to broaden our consciousness the way it was first told. However, many writers and philosophers have created their own versions of it and told it through the perspectives of its various characters. For instance, The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni tells the Ramayana through Sita’s eyes. Shouldn’t these age-old traditional Ramlilas also look at newer perspectives to showcase the epic today to give space to the audience to understand each character specifically? Saurabh says that the foundation’s Ramlila is not just one through Valmiki’s or Shiva-Parvati’s eye, but offers a fresh perspective through every character’s eyes. “For instance, we also tell it through Kaikeyi. She is always looked at in a negative light. But here, we give a reason and justify her motive behind sending Ram to an exile of 14 years. We also make some of the actions by Ravan appear justified to give the audience — especially the youth — a fresh take on his identity and intentions,” says he.

However, Singh says that she might bring some new variations and try to tell the tale through a different perspective, but “now isn’t the right time. Maybe, in the future, but currently, I am very much devoted to the story of Ram and this Ramlila.”

Looking at the LavKush Ramlila, one of the oldest in the city, Ashok Aggarwal, president, says that his team has launched two cranes this time to make the experience more engaging for the audience. “For Ram Vivah, the crane showered flower petals on them and over the audience. The whole Sabahu-Mareecha episode had their army of rakshasas following them in the crane and looked as if they’re really travelling through air — Akashmarg. Earlier, we had only two to three people doing that, now 15 of them could go together,” he says.

He tells us why the Ramlila was named after Luv and Kush, the two sons of Sita and Ram. “How often do you find a stage act named after them? Here, we did that to show how they followed their parents’ paths and how it can inspire the young generation of India today,” says he.

The team has also made their act available on YouTube this time and seen an increase in the footfall by making new and necessary changes in their traditional, decades-long format.

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