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Jaipur, 2015.10.22 (TNN, Ashish Mehta): Seventy-year-old Mohammed Hanif was seen giving final touches to an effigy of Ravana at Adarsh Nagar Ramlila ground in the city on Wednesday afternoon. A knife replaced the locket around his neck. He used the knife to cut a piece of bamboo stick and a paper.
Hanif is a member of sixth generation of a family from Mathura, UP, which has been visiting various places in the country to make effigies.
Many such families from Mathura have been coming to the city to make effigies. One can see a sigh of relief on the faces of the artists when they witness their effigies being transported to various Ramlila committees on the eve of Dussehra.
“Main 14 saal ka thaa jab mere chicha Lakhu Bhai ne yeh kaam sikhaya (I was 14 when my uncle Lakhu Bhai taught me this work),” he recalls while pasting a paper on one of the heads of Ravana’s effigy .
He said the time has changed, but he gets the same love and affection from the Ramlila committee members.
“Forget what kind of money we get out of this work, we just love the way people of Jaipur treat us.They arrange for everything from food to lodging for us,” he added.
You touch the lynching case, and he says philosophically, “As long as festivals are surviving in this country, we can think of peace and happiness. By visiting various cities during Navratras, I am able to know a bit about the Hindu mythological characters Lord Rama, Ravana etc. We need to respect each other’s religion. We should try to know about them.”
In Jaipur, at least 12 families from various parts of UP have worked overtime to make the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnath. The majority of these Muslim families are not just associated with making effigies, they are also into making rakhis for Raksha Bandhan, kites for Makar Sankranti and colours for Holi.
Abdul Sagir, a 45-yearold artisan from Meerut, has been coming to the city for almost two decades.”Kai zamaney se kar rahey hain.Humey dukh hota hai jab Ravana jalta hai (We have been doing this work for years and we get sad when the effigies of Ravana are burnt),” he said, while giving final touches to an effigy in Sodala.
Saleem Ahamed, another effigy maker from Mathura, said, “Those who believe that the craze for these festivals has gone should come and see the way we work. Earlier, the clients who bought the effigies of Ravana were merely the Ramlila committees across Jaipur, but now, people are asking for short-sized effigies to take home for their kids.”
Meanwhile, the Ramlila committees in various parts of the city want their effigy to get taller with each passing year.
“We have made it (an effigy) 105 feet high,” said Chand Mohammed at Aadarsh Nagar Ramlila Maidan.
Dandiya fever grips Udaipur
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Udaipur: Loud music, colourful outfits and bodies swaying to the tunes of traditional and western remixes. With Udaipur’s proximity to Gujarat’s commercial capital city Ahmedabad, dandiya has become an inseparable part of navratri celebrations here too. As the festival celebrating the nine forms of Goddess Durga, is nearing its culmination, dandiya fever has gripped adults, youth and children alike in the city Udaipur. What comes as a pleasant change this time is to see leaders who chair the events, appealing to the people to help Udaipur win the Smart City race. The otherwise sleeping city that’s known to `yawn by nine’, is buzzing with activities these days. Compared to last few years, more garba pandals erected in almost every nook and corner of the city are being seen this time.
People, specially the young generation, are seen flocking to garbha pandals dressed up in traditional and fashionable attires. With an extended weekend starting Wednesday onwards, hotels and restaurants are planning on mega dandiya events at their places to cash in on the wonderful opportunity.
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