Mumbai: With dandiya nights and the mouth-watering food on offer at Durga Puja pandals encroaching on their turf, Ramlilas in the city are finding it hard to hold ground during Navratri.
Artistes portraying the epic Ramayana on a large stage over a span of 10 days has a rich history in the city. But with thinning crowds in south Mumbai due to the growing commercial sector, and loss of interest in the younger generation, Ramlila organisers are struggling to keep the tradition alive.
“In today’s age, when mobile phones and computers give access to everything, it is difficult to get youngsters to sit and watch the traditional Ramlila. Fortunately, there continues to be curiosity among many, and we still manage to get a considerable number of people. But it’s not as big a crowd as five years ago,” says 85-year-old Gopinath Mishra, founder and general secretary of the Sahitya Kala Manch that organises Ramlila in Azad Maidan.
In its 37th year, this Ramlila gets artistes from Mathura and Vrindavan, and their performances are the main attraction. According to Mr. Mishra, the Ramlila attracts about 2,500 people every day. “Five to six years ago, we used to get a crowd of more than 10,000 every single day. We had to appoint over 20 volunteers simply to manage the crowd,” he recalls.
The 10-day dramatic re-enactment of Ramayana starts with the birth of Lord Ram and ends with the death of Ravan. The story is told in the form of songs and dialogues in Hindi and Bhojpuri. There are about 18-odd Ramlilas in the city, which host the crowd for three hours every evening of Navratri till Dussehra. All Ramlilas offer free entry, with some seating reserved for special guests. The cost of organising the event ranges from ₹13 lakh to ₹30 lakh, depending on factors like the grandeur of the set, actors’ fees and expense on costumes. The events are funded through donations from organisers and community members who believe in keeping the tradition alive.
According to Raj K. Purohit, chairman of the Ramlila Seva Kendra that organises the event at Cross Maidan near Churchgate, the followers and devotees of Lord Ram are the ones who are most attracted to Ramlila. “Despite the thinning crowds, we see a ray of hope. People from the affluent class have also started attending the Ramlila, and many parents ensure that they bring their children along to introduce them to history and mythology,” says Mr. Purohit, who is also the BJP MLA from Colaba.
He says that about 1,200 people attend the Cross Maidan Ramlila on weekdays, and the number goes up to 4,000 on weekends.
While south Mumbai has seen a drop in footfall, the increase in population in the suburbs has worked in favour of the Ramlilas located there. Devkinandan Jindal, founder trustee of Shree Ramlila Prachar Samiti, which has organised the event in Shivaji Maidan, Malad (West) for the past 36 years, says their audience has increased over the years. “A huge chunk of population has shifted to the suburbs over the years. This has helped us a lot,” he says.
The Malad Ramlila, with 85 artistes from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, attracts over 5,000 people every day. “We try to keep it grand to attract the young ones,” says Mr. Jindal.
