Shree Maharashtra Ramleela Mandal artist geting ready for Ramleela at Azad Maidan (Pic/Ashish Raje)
The term ‘Ramleela’ is derived from two words: ‘Ram’, which refers to Lord Rama, and ‘leela’, which means skit or play
The artistes from Uttar Pradesh's 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
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
Ramleela is performed during the nine days of Navratri and concludes on the 10th day with the celebration of Dussehra
While in the first few days, there is a smaller audience, more crowds can be seen gathering in the last few days
In one mandal (group), there are at least 15 to 20 male artistes who perform different roles, including that of a female character
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