Dussehra and the making of Ravana

With Dussehra around, there's a lot happening in the air. The painters are infusing life into the raw monsters, painting mustaches, giving jumbo like styles to the effigies, which keep emerging in the forms of Ravana, Kumbkarna and Meghnath.

CJ: Shveata S Chandel

Sun, Sep 27, 2009 15:59:17 IST

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Celebrating Festivals :

JAMMU'S GEETA BHAVAN is these days agog with herds of people, especially children, coming throughout the day to witness heaps of dried grass, canvass, bamboo sticks, loose gunny bags etc, turning into much larger than life size monster-like effigies. The artisans are working with perfection and speed. The painters are infusing life into the raw monsters, painting mustaches, giving jumbo like styles to the effigies, which keep emerging in the forms of Ravna, Kumbkarna and Meghnath. One after another, the effigies keep emerging and being placed at a corner side with tags, mentioning the places to be sent on the just ensuing Dussehra festival. The orders keep pouring in and the group of 34 artisans, 10 of them Muslims, keeps working overtime to meet the demand.

For many years now, the artisans from Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) come to the city of the temples almost a month ahead of Dussehra for preparing the effigies. Their confident expressions and artistic hands keep moving fast wrapping coloured papers on the Skeltons of bamboo sticks. While giving final touches to these effigies, the artists gaze convincingly on their subjects and nod with a big grin. The master craftsman keeps giving directions for doing something here and fixing something there.

“Of course, we earn our bread and butter out of making these effigies and at the same time we feel proud on our contribution to put an end to evil,” says Sudhir, a 32-year-old artisan with satisfying grin on his face. He elaborates that as the ritual goes, people burn these effigies on the eve of Dussehra, thereby spreading the message of nipping the evil in the bud. “We have been coming here for the past ten years. Now it has become a routine and almost a passion, for us to come every year to fulfil our commitments with our clients. With the passage of each year, we keep getting more and more orders. This year we have got orders from Kathua, Udhampur, Samba and some other nearby areas,” he says while exuding confidence of meeting the orders within stipulated time.

Adding fervour to the celebrations and continuing the tradition of fraternity, making of effigies is a combined effort of the Hindu, as well as Muslim artisans. They have been working in a team spirit and even at times the Muslim artisans are seen giving added touches to the works of their co-artisans.

“We are skilled workers and religion has nothing to do with our work”, says Imran, the highly skilled artisan of the group. ‘Work is worship, as the adage goes, so where the religion comes in it,” he further states while adding that they were feeling very happy in working as a cohesive group for earning their livelihood.

“We live as a family and there is hardly any one who thinks that he is a Hindu or the other is a Muslim. We know how to respect each others sentiments, as we have been striving to work in a unique spirit of togetherness,” he adds.

As the festival of Dussehra is approaching, Jammu is preparing for the occasion with enthusiasm and fanfare. The festival is celebrated with much gusto in this city of temples. Crackers are burst and the key city squares are illuminated. Special feasts remain the key feature of the festivity.

An abridged dramatisation of the Ramayana – The Ramlila – is enacted with much public fervour in Jammu during the festivities.

“Ramlia is a part of the Navratri celebrations. There are many small and big theatre groups, which stage Ramlila in different parts of the city. After staging a series of episodes of Lord Rama’s life, highlighting the spirit of love and affection, commitment to duties, respect for elders, loyalty towards relations, the burning of the effigies of Ravana on Vijayadashami, signifying the victory of good over evil, is the finale of Navratra celebrations.

And Jammu is not lagging behind in this sphere of the festivity. The famous Parade Ground is bracing up for the event. The largest of the effigies being carved out in the nearby Geeta Bhavan are waiting for moving to the Ground to enthrall the crowds, coming from nearby and peripherial areas, as the Monday Sun will set, marking the end of Ravna, Kumbhkarna and Meghnath.

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