It's that time of the year when the Ramleela artists narrate the epic Ramayana to keen audiences through various skit performances. As the Navratri festival begins, the Ramleela artists share their journey so far (Pic/Baijnath Chaturvedi)
Updated On: 2023-10-18 12:11 PM IST
Compiled by : Anagha Sawant
Several mandals have been organising Ramleela in Mumbai at different locations, including Dadar, Cotton Green, Tilak Nagar, and Girgaum Chowpatty, to name a few. Even in the digital world of technology and the Gen Z generation, the artists express that their art cannot be stated as dying art, as even today, people eagerly visit to watch them perform.
Over the years, the art of traditional mythological storytelling and the Ramleela performances have survived because of their community connections. The Ramleela is a traditional Indian art form that originated in the northern parts of India
The artists from Mathura mainly await the Navratri festival in order to perform and showcase their traditional art and give the audience a glimpse of Ravan Dahan on the last day - the 10th day of the festival, also known as the Dussehra festival. The Ramleela is a dramatic reenactment of the epic Ramayana, a Hindu mythological story that narrates the life journey of Lord Rama
Also Read: How Ramleela artistes weave simple language and humour into storytelling
The 72-year-old artist Baijnath Chaturvedi from Mathura has been performing since the early 1960s. According to Chaturvedi, since his grandfather’s era, the family members have been a part of the Ramleela troop. Chaturvedi explains, “On the last three to four days we see a huge number of people gathered at each and every location in Mumbai. On the day of Dussehra, Ravan Dahan concludes our skit performances with a bang”
Speaking about how the old artists have moulded themselves to blend with the demands of the new generation, Chaturvedi explained that they keep the traditional language alive but twist it in a way that will help them connect with the newer audience. He said, “The older generation is connected to us because they have been watching us perform Ramleela for a very long time. But to connect with the newer generation, we try to mould language and add a bit of humour that helps the young population understand the mythological stories in a better way. We try to use layman’s terms rather than very old traditional words”
