IGNCA archives Ramnagar ki Ramleela

Organised under the patronage of the Kashi Naresh (king of Varanasi) who resides in the Ramnagar Fort, the Ramleela is performed over a period of 31 days, where the audience moves from one place to other to watch different acts.

IGNCA’s Controller (Media), Basharat Ahmed, said: “Our team has been sent to capture the performance in its entirety so that it could be
kept in the form of a film for posterity.”

Ahmed mentioned that Dr Anuradha Kapur, former director of the National School of Drama, who has also written a book on the Ramnagar ki Ramleela, is one of the experts being consulted by the IGNCA.

Scholars from the Banaras Hindu University have also been roped in to ensure the flawless filming of this theatrical tradition.

“All it required was a two-hour video to convince the UNESCO of the importance and uniqueness of this particular Ramleela. But they also require us to keep taking initiatives like these for the preservation of the same,” said Ahmed.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed between IGNCA and the Kashi Naresh a year ago. “The performance is for nearly 31 days. Our shooting is for 38 days as we covered the pre-performance preparations, which in themselves are unique,” he said.

The Ramnagar ki Ramleela is known for no use of sound and light.

Various places mentioned in the Ramayana — Chitrakoot, Ayodhya and Lanka, etc — are ‘created’ in the Fort. “Also, it mostly uses lines from Ram Charit Manas,” said an observer of the Ramleela.

“Artists drawn from local villages are trained for a few months in a gurukul system. We want to capture all these aspects, so that this great tradition remains a reminder for future generations,” said Ahmed.