This one is a Ramlila clip shot randomly.
The annual ‘Ramayan’ event,
organized across India through plays, is being staged here at the Manikarnika
Ghat, Varanasi - on November 17, i.e., on the day of Chhath Puja in 2015.
Ramlila is played over an
extended period of time at different places in Varanasi and it goes well beyond
the Dussehra festivities – that fall usually in the months of September-October.
Here, in the Ramlila at the
Manikarnika Ghat, the informal conversation interspersed with dialogues between
the characters is quite interesting.
The part of Ramayana (or
Ramcharit Manas, the most loved Hindu scripture written on Ramayan by Goswami
Tulsidas in 15th-16th Century) being staged here is about
‘Vibhishan leaving his brother Ravan and joining Lord Ram’s side in the epic
battle between bad and good’.
After Vibhishan has left Lanka, Ravan’s
place, Ravan commands his spies to go clandestinely after Vibhishan and to
report the developments from Lord Ram’s camp.
The brief conversation/dialogue here
is in Hindi-Bhojpuri mix that also includes informal conversation between the characters
about changing their appearances for the next scene and it can be heard well on
the speaker. Bhojpuri is a dialect of Hindi and is spoken mainly in eastern
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
That is the way most of the
Ramlilas are staged these days – just to fulfil the basic minimum of a
tradition that is centuries old – without aesthetics of stage performances –
but the flip here brings natural smile if you know the context.
It tells what has happened to
this serious art form - that is weaved around something without which the
Indian society cannot think of its holistic existence – and that – that still
why it is so imperative – that you stop by to think about its serious revival –
given that Ramlilas are an inseparable part of Indian cultural milieu.
So, you don’t appreciate the way
it is done here, still you enjoy the show – not looking for professional finesse
– that you cannot expect from poorly paid and makeshift actors – but for the sustenance
of this Centuries old tradition.
I just thought to post it here...but
it is quite 'audible' - Bhojpuri and Hindi
the Banarasi way..
Enjoy it raw from the YouTube
link here:
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
