The Stage is Set

The first day I was there, honestly, I had absolutely no clue as to what to expect. I had imagined the Ram Leela to be a small scale affair considering I had skipped the most famous venues (= places where the Prime Minister visited). But as it turned out, that was not to be the case. There were security guards everywhere, security checks, seats well arranged in anticipation of the show and a nice fair drawing in crowds adjacent to the stage.

Images from the Ramleela ground where the stage was being set for the evening performance, Sept. 27 2009, New Delhi. It was almost eerie to see large numbers of empty seats reserved for an exclusive audience who never bother to turn up on time. I was told that one can watch the Ramleela only if one had the tickets or passes for the same. I suppose the organizers, Shree Ramlila Committee have to make sure they recover the costs.

A half baked Ravan's effigy. Having never seen one before, I was quite impressed by the scale of the effigy. Preeti shook her head solemnly stating that she would give this one 3 points out of 10. She has seen better! "We are doing this for you." I looked behind my back wondering if there was anyone standing behind me. No. The women were talking to me as they swept the floor. "Keechlo. Par chehara nahi.. " (Click. But not the face)

Like I mentioned, the police were omnipresent. You need special permission even to go anywhere near the stage.

One of the organisers shows off the set up. I kept wondering whether the Ravan was smiling through his moustache! The power house. Our electrician was in the middle of an evening nap when I found him. He didn't budge (except for opening his eyes) even when I started taking pictures. A security guard is strategically positioned at the Ramleela ground.