The making of Ravan

Across the road,Premchand sits under a Khanna Ravanwale banner. His employer proudly introduces Premchand as the “oldest Ravan-maker of Titarpur”. “I have been making these effigies and teaching others since 1952,” says Premchand. He’s been working through the night. “During night,there’s less traffic on this road,so we can concentrate more,” he says.

But falling demand for the Ravans has Premchand worried—till a few years ago,there would be at least 1,500 to 2,000 Ravan effigies getting ready here for Dusshera; this year,there are barely 500 to 700. “Recession has dealt a blow to this trade. Two or three years ago,booking orders would start coming five months in advance,with each customer having his own specifications. The Ravanwallas or the effigy-makers tried to outdo one another. But this year,we are making only 20 effigies and will be lucky if we break-even,” he complains.

The minimum cost price of an effigy is Rs 2,500-3,000. It is sold at anything between Rs 3,500 and Rs 6,000. “That’s nothing. We have sold Ravans at Rs 10,000 in the past,” says Mahendra of Mahendra & Subhash Mashhoor Ravanwale. Mahendra shows off his banner,which has pictures of him posing with Bollywood stars Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla as well as with his foreign clients. “Every year,I get at least five-six orders from abroad. I have sent Ravans to the US,the UK,Canada and Australia. But this year,I haven’t got even a single booking from abroad,” he says,adding that though he is making around 60 effigies,none of them is 50 feet high.

“Tall Ravan,measuring 50 feet and above,is my USP,” he says,claiming that he has spent more than 25 years in this trade. “It’s not as if we are not getting any bookings. But this year clients have told us that their budget is lower compared to the last few years and so,we are keeping our Ravans,Kumbhakarnas and Meghnads simple and smaller than last year. I can only hope and pray to Lord Ram that the smaller size doesn’t mean a diminishing festival spirit,” he says.