Modi to watch Ram Lila in UP

Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Dusshera, will watch the Ram Lila performance in Lucknow for about 25 minutes and it is only when Ravan is slain on stage, that the effigies of Ravan, Kumbhkaran and Meghnad will be set on fire.

Talking to this correspondent, the organiser of the Aishbagh Ram Lila, Aditya Dwiwedi, said on Tuesday that the Prime Minister will arrive at the venue around 7.30.p.m and watch the performance of the Ram Lila.

He will be honoured by the organizing committee after which he will give a speech. “It is after his speech that the effigies will be set on fire”, he said.

The organisers of the Aishbagh Ram Lila are taking all precautions to ensure that their Ram Lila artists do not fall it since the main characters of almost all other Ram Lilas in the state capital have reported sick.

The man who plays Ravan in Chinhat Ram Lila has already been diagnosed with dengue and Kumbhkaran in the Daliganj Ram Lila is bed-ridden with viral fever. Sita in the Khadra Ram Lila is also unwell while Lakshman in the Triveni Nagar Ram Lila has suffered a fracture in the leg.

“We have been taking all precautions to keep the environment clean and fogging is being done regularly in the area to keep mosquitoes away. We are aware that dengue has turned into an epidemic in Lucknow but we are safe so far”, the organiser said.

Mr Dwiwedi further said that, “We have been practising for the Ram Lila since the past two months and this time, it is special because of the Prime Minister’s presence”.

Meanwhile, the Aishbagh Ram Lila, one of the oldest in the state capital, is a high tech affair with pre-recorded background scenes, LED screens, colour balls, flying arrows and also a flying Hanuman.

“The technology that we are using enhances the performances and creates the right ambience”, the organiser said.

After Tulsidas, the Nawabs of Oudh started taking keen interest in the event and Nawab Asaf-ud-Daullah donated the land where the Ram Lila now takes place.
The Ram Lila ground, incidentally, is located near the Idgah in Aishbagh.