Epic Proportions

At the Red Fort ground in Chandni Chowk,preparations for the Ramlila are on in full swing.

From gifting freebies to arranging for multi-lingual translations of the narrative on stage Ramlila performances are all set to woo the foreign visitors in the city

At the Red Fort ground in Chandni Chowk,preparations for the Ramlila are on in full swing. What captures ones attention at first glance though is the rather unusual entrance that has been erected. Instead of larger-than-life cut-outs of epic heroes,its Shera,the mascot of the Commonwealth Games that stands guard. Organisers say that this is just one of the several changes initiated this year to attract foreign tourists who are in the country for the Commonwealth Games (CWG). One of the major changes in the performances this year,which start from today,will be in the packaging of the narrative. Not only will it be crisper and more attractively packaged,organisers say they have also arranged for real time English translations during the shows for the convenience of foreign tourists. We have specially hired about 10 English translators who will be typing out the semi-literal English translations of the dialogues as the performance takes place. This will be flashed on an LCD screen which can be viewed by the foreign delegates, says Arjun Kumar,secretary,Lav-Kush Ramlila Committee,Red Fort grounds. The committee is also organising a special air-conditioned enclosure especially for foreigners,embassy staff and Games delegates which will have a 8X10 feet screen to make viewing easy. French and English translators will also be made available on demand. We planned this four months in advance because we knew it will co-incide with the CWG. We have specially printed 10,000 invites in English,summarising the story of the Ramayana on one page to add some background detail for the uninitiated, adds Kumar. Apart from the English cards,the customary five lakh invites in Hindi for the general public are also in place.

Incidentally,the 13-day Ramlila depicts various episodes from the Ramcharitamanas (stories based on Lord Rams life) like the Putreshthi Yagna,birth of Lord Ram,his marriage,exile,Surpanakhas marriage proposal to Lord Ram,Sitas abduction,the construction of the Ram Setu and Ravanas eventual defeat.

The Dharmik Leela Committee which stages Ramlila every year at the Subhash Maidan grounds opposite Red Fort too has created a special air-conditioned enclosure which is specially reserved for CWG delegates and athletes. With a capacity of seating 250 people the enclosure will be open to other foreigners also. Rather than having subtitles flashing on a screen,the committee has appointed interpreters for each row of foreigners who will sit beside them during the show and translate for them the activities on the stage. We will not have verbatim translations. Rather,we will explain the summary to them, says Pradeep Saran,secretary of the committee. While the Shree Ramlila Committee at Ramlila Maidan grounds and the Sriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra,has not bucked tradition,elsewhere the Ram-Lakhan Dharmika Sabha at Pitampura,will be appointing two translators; male and female,for the English translations of the dialogues. Since our Ramlila is performed opposite the Dilli Haat grounds,Pitampura,where cultural programmes for visiting delegates are being held,we are inviting the foreigners to drop in for our shows too, says Surinder Kumar Gupta,treasurer of the committee. 250 invitations in English have been sent out to various embassies already.

The organisers say all these arrangements are one-off and have involved an investment of Rs 25-30 lakhs on an average. The Lav-Kush Committee is also throwing in a gift hamper which include a Ramayana information booklet,a calendar charting out the various episodes of the Ramlila on it,a coffee mug and a key chain with CWG and Ramlila branding and a CD with the previous years performance recording. We are not expecting a mass influx of tourists. That is why we have taken token steps to attract them, adds Saran. Entry is free,but the special enclosures are reserved for foreign guests.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram