CHANDIGARH: Ramleela tells the story of good winning over evil. So it is only fitting that it should emphasize the role of do-gooders. This year, Garhwal Ramleela Mandal of Sector 28, retold the tale with a mention of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption crusade.
Organizers said this was meant to provide impetus to Hazare's movement. As part of that, an extra scene was added in which Rama talks about the need to fight against the evil of corruption. This scene was shown to be part of "Tretayug". In it, the character of Rama mentions how Hazare and freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and Lal Bahadur Shastri would do their bit during "Kaliyug".
"The idea is to connect with the minds of masses. Sri Ramchandra has crores of devotees and we thought when they see him giving a social message it would automatically serve the purpose. We also made sure that this does not offend religious sentiments of people," Mukesh Sharma, director of the Sector-28 Ramleela, told TOI.
"We included an act where Vibhishana is in a dilemma over going against his elder brother Ravana. He approaches Lord Rama, who tells him that his fight is against corruption and not against an individual," added Sharma. Another member of the group said, "Every year, organizers of Mumbai's 'Ganesh puja' associate it with fight against terrorism in one or other unique way. We also wanted to work on similar lines."
Other Ramleela clubs also worked with social causes in mind. "Ramleela is the best medium to address any social concern. We played songs that celebrated the contribution of freedom fighters and national heroes during breaks in our performances," president of the city-based Shri Arjuna Amateur Dramatics Club, Sushil Puri, said.
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