Ramlila with a modern message

Ramlila with a modern message
October 05, 2010 9:09:22 PM

Purusharth Aradhak | New Delhi

With the recent spurt in “honour killing” cases, one of the city Ramlilas is all set to focus on the issue this year. The ballet, according to Shri Ramlila Committee in East Delhi, has been researched at the Banaras Hindu University.

“The intention is to spread awareness against ‘honour killing’, which has affected the society in general. Ramlila is staged every year to keep our moral values intact. Our Ramlila will spread the message that ‘honour killing’ leads to destruction of families,” Shri Ramlila Committee (IP Extn, Patparganj) president Suresh Bindal said.

He added: “Ravan’s sister Surpanakha fell in love with Vidhujiah, who was a general of emperor Kaliket. From the beginning, Ravana was opposed to the relationship. During a heated argument between Ravan and his sister, the king called Vidhujiah and humiliated him, saying Surpanakha belonged to an elite family while he was just a general. Ravan ordered Vidhujiah to either forget Surpanakha or leave the country. But full of pride and self-esteem, Vidhujiah did not obey Ravan and was killed.”

On how the organisers hit upon this idea, Bindal said it was a topical subject since a number of “honour killing” cases had occurred in north India in the recent past. “After giving it a lot of thought, the committee decided to stage a proper show, for which research has been conducted at BHU. A book based on the research has already been published by a leading publishing house,” he added.

According to the Ramlila organisers, the reason for adding the Surpanakha episode to the ballet was just to show that those who commit atrocities like “honour killing” have to face destruction of their families. Surpanakha is one of the most important characters in the Ramayana. “In fact, Valmiki comes close to claiming that had there been no Kaikeyi and no Surpanakha, there would have been no war with Ravan and no Ramayana.

In fact, Surpanakha was the trigger that set into motion the chain of events leading to Ravan’s destruction,” they added.

The participating artistes are from NSD and Delhi Rang Mach. The dance presentation will be based on Chhau, a genre of Indian tribal martial dance popular in Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha.

Several cases of “honour killing” were reported earlier this year. In most of these cases, it was either the girl or the boy from high-profile and upper middle class families who fell victim to their own family members. Several young lives were snuffed out after the lovers eloped or married for love. Such cases were reported not only from faraway villages, but also from metro cities, including Delhi. The khap panchayats have taken a serious view of the issue and deliberations are continuing on how to end this social menace.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/287792/Ramlila-with-a-modern-message.html