With the festive season starting with Navratri celebrations on Sunday, committees across the city that set up Durga Puja pandals and organise Ramlilas are giving final touches to the preparations.
The 10-day Durga Puja is synonymous with fancy pandals, or marquees, some of which see daily footfall in thousands in the last five days. From Sunday, the festival will feature idols of goddess Durga, troupes of dhakis (drummers who play the instrument dhak) and other musicians, as well as cuisines from all over the country.
Theatre aficionados in the city will throng multiple performances of Ramlila, or dramatic re-enactment of the Ramayana, which draw thousands of visitors each year. Accompanied by a variety of foods and fairs, Ramlila stagings will end on Dasara on October 24 with the burning of the effigy of Ravana.
A Durga Puja pandal being prepared at Kashmere Gate. | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
Embracing tradition
While some Durga Puja committees will prepare pandals with elaborate motifs, others said their themes will embrace tradition.
“Like every year, our pandal will depict the simplicity of Bengali culture, with a traditional depiction of the goddess sculpted by artisans from West Bengal,” said Narayan Dey, a member of a committee in Chittaranjan Park which will celebrate its 78th Durga Puja this year.
Another puja committee in the south-east Delhi locality is preparing a model of a temple in Bihar. “The artists who designed our pandal are from Kolkata, while the workers who built it are locals,” said Sourav Chakraborty, a member of the committee in K Block, Chittaranjan Park.
Keeping the festivities in mind, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal last month said the government will relax the restriction on loudspeakers, allowing their use till midnight instead of 10 p.m. The move was welcomed by organisers everywhere.
However, a member of a Durga Puja committee near Kashmere Gate said he is sceptical of whether the police are on board. “After the puja aarti and dhunuchi naach (traditional dance with a lamp), we start our cultural programmes quite late. I hope we are allowed to hold them,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ramlila committees are scaling up. Members of the five-decade-old Lav Kush Ramlila Committee said this year’s festivities will be “completely hi-tech”.
Ramlilas at grand scale
With a grand replica of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in the background, the committee has prepared a three-tiered stage spread across 150x30 feet. Equipped with a large LED screen and Dolby Digital sound system, the massive stage will hold daily Ramlila performances from October 15 to 25.
Near the Red Fort, the Madhavdas Park Shri Dharmic Leela Committee will celebrate its 100th year by hosting President Droupadi Murmu. Over the years, the committee has staged Ramlilas attended by dignitaries such as then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former President Pratibha Patil.
The committee’s media secretary Ravi Jain said it has set up a 60x120 feet stage. “Over 250 volunteers, 100 food stalls, fire tenders, and ambulances will be deployed at our Ramlila. It will start on October 15 and conclude with a Shobha Yatra on October 26,” he added.
Noted TV and film actors will portray the principal characters at some of the high-profile Ramlilas, where the entry will be only through passes and 10,000-15,000 visitors are expected daily.
Published - October 15, 2023 01:36 am IST
