Mumbai: The city will celebrate Dussehra, the culmination of the nine-day Navratri festival, with immersions of Goddess Durga idols, Ramlila performances, and the burning of Ravana effigies.
Iconic Venues Set Ablaze
Effigies will be set on fire at several locations, including Girgaon Chowpatty and Ram Lila Maidan, Malad West. The Shree Adarsh Ramlila Samiti will burn a 50-feet tall Ravana on Thursday evening as the festival’s grand finale.
At Zakaria Road, Malad, members of the 70-member Shree Ram Manas Manch troupe from Moradabad have enacted Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas for 44 years. This year, a 40-feet Ravana will be set ablaze.
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State-of-the-Art Ramlila Shows
Organised by the Ram Shree Ramlila Prachar Samiti since 1982, the Malad event attracts large crowds. The organisers have incorporated special effects, graphics, a 16x60 ft LED screen, and a 30,000 sq ft seating area, drawing around 5,000 viewers every evening. On Dussehra, more than 10,000 people are expected to attend.
Raman Jindal, honorary general secretary of the Samiti, said a Ganga Aarti will be performed as a special event. “We have invited 12 pandits from Varanasi to perform a special puja to welcome Lord Ram when he is depicted returning to Ayodhya after his victory,” said Jindal.
Nostalgia for Ramlila Enthusiasts
Ramlila enthusiasts note that such events are becoming rarer. U K Singh, secretary of the Bihar Association, said: “When I settled in Mumbai 50 years ago, there were more Ramlila venues. Today, there are not more than eight or nine places to watch the performance. Earlier, families went to venues in large groups. The government should encourage these events.”
Navami Celebrations and Kumari Puja
On Navami (Wednesday), Durga Puja pandals celebrated Kumari Puja, worshipping young girls as living embodiments of the divine feminine. At the Bengal Club Shivaji Park Durgotsav, rituals included Astra Puja (worship of weapons) and Dhunuchi dance, adding to the festive fervour.
