Crowds return to Ramlilas in Gurgaon

Ramlilas have been a staple of Gurgaon's festive season for close to five decades now. Even before the town transformed into the Millennium City, Ramlila committees were entertaining people. Last year, that stopped. Only two of the city’s two dozen Ramlilas staged performances and even they weren't fully open to the public. Well, the doors have reopened this year, even though with limited gathering and COVID-19 protocols in place.And the crowd is back, too.
'Social distancing is encouraged'
Shri Durga Ramlila in Jacobpura, the city's oldest Ramlila, has reduced its seating capacity from over 2,000 to just 400. "We have put up enclosures around the Ramlila Ground and boosted security. Only 400 people are allowed and everyone has to get thermal screening done and wear masks. We encourage those people who have had two shots of the vaccine to come but won’t turn anyone away," says Rajkumar Saini, media in-charge of the committee. The artistes and performers say adapting has been challenging but it is getting easier for them. Karan Bakshi, who plays Ram in Jacobpura's Ramlila, says, "It's all about how badly you want to do it. It was tough at first but we have been taking the same precautions in other parts of life so it became easier to do the same during rehearsals too." They do, however, rue not having a full house for their performances. Sameer Tanwar, who plays Lakshman, adds, "As an artiste, you do want a full crowd so when that doesn’t happen, it is disappointing but then we are livestreaming this, so I guess everyone is still watching, even if just from home."

'No processions this time'
The Ramlila committees say that the money they are saving on having smaller gatherings have been utilised in scaling up the shows and modernising their digital interface. Most Ramlilas in the city have moved up from their amateur set-ups for recording the show and gone for professional audio-visual setups. Surinder Khullar from Geeta Bhawan Ramlila says, "We wanted to return in a grand fashion and give the audience a spectacle they'd remember. So what if the crowd is less, the show shouldn't be any less grand. We are livestreaming the show on Facebook and YouTube for others to watch at home."

'Hope the festive season can bring back lost cheer'
"Ramlilas are culturally very significant. It is the time for families to get together and go out for some entertainment and some fun. It is always a good time of the year, so we were definitely missing it. After how this year has been, I hope the festive season can bring back our lost cheer," says Sector 14 resident Anil Rastogi, who went with his family to watch two Ramlilas over the weekend.