RAVANA IS STILL HILARIOUSLY ALIVE !
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It was on an evening in October, several years ago, when my Father, HH Shri Bhola Nathji and I, were standing together mingled with a large crowd gathered at Gandhi Chowk, Library, Mussoorie, watching the final sequence in a Ram Leela, (The Drama of the Ramayana) being enacted by local actors there.
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It was on an evening in October, several years ago, when my Father, HH Shri Bhola Nathji and I, were standing together mingled with a large crowd gathered at Gandhi Chowk, Library, Mussoorie, watching the final sequence in a Ram Leela, (The Drama of the Ramayana) being enacted by local actors there.
The fervour
and devotion of the people was beyond imagination, and there were many
who bent down and touched the feet of the main actors of the play, Lord
Rama, Maharani Sita, and Laxman, as they went up to the stage.
(A TV star who enacted the part of Lord Rama had the same experience when over 100,000 people bent down to touch his feet in another city!)
Came the ending scene at Mussoorie, when the large 30 feet tall Grass and wood effigy was to be set to fire .
A V.I.P. was to fire a burning arrow that would ignite the fire crackers on the monstrous effigy.
He managed to fire the arrow somewhat clumsily, sending the arrow almost into the audience, and the figure was set to torch. Firecrackers were bursting all over in the eardrums of the audience.
There was a gentle breeze that made the huge tall Ravana effigy sway gently.
I saw ominous portents and said to my Father:
"Let us go from here lest this Ravana effigy fall upon the people!!"
I voiced my concern to as many people as I could, but people were simply hypnotised as if they had never seen fire-crackers burst before. It struck me then that most adults were still children at heart.
I called a rickshaw and took my father home.
The next day's morning newspapers carried the news:
"'BURNING RAVANA FALLS UPON AUDIENCE.
NO ONE INJURED."
The gentle breeze had turned into a full blown mountain wind and sent the Burning Effigy of Ravana reeling on top of the heads of the enthusiastic audience. It was learnt that the V.I.P. was the first to be pulled out to safety by his security guards.
IT SHOWED THAT DESPITE THE PASSAGE OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS, RAVANA WAS STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE!!!
(A TV star who enacted the part of Lord Rama had the same experience when over 100,000 people bent down to touch his feet in another city!)
Came the ending scene at Mussoorie, when the large 30 feet tall Grass and wood effigy was to be set to fire .
A V.I.P. was to fire a burning arrow that would ignite the fire crackers on the monstrous effigy.
He managed to fire the arrow somewhat clumsily, sending the arrow almost into the audience, and the figure was set to torch. Firecrackers were bursting all over in the eardrums of the audience.
There was a gentle breeze that made the huge tall Ravana effigy sway gently.
I saw ominous portents and said to my Father:
"Let us go from here lest this Ravana effigy fall upon the people!!"
I voiced my concern to as many people as I could, but people were simply hypnotised as if they had never seen fire-crackers burst before. It struck me then that most adults were still children at heart.
I called a rickshaw and took my father home.
The next day's morning newspapers carried the news:
"'BURNING RAVANA FALLS UPON AUDIENCE.
NO ONE INJURED."
The gentle breeze had turned into a full blown mountain wind and sent the Burning Effigy of Ravana reeling on top of the heads of the enthusiastic audience. It was learnt that the V.I.P. was the first to be pulled out to safety by his security guards.
IT SHOWED THAT DESPITE THE PASSAGE OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS, RAVANA WAS STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE!!!
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