MBAs, Doctors perform various roles at Ramleela with elan

JAIPUR: Gone are the days when Ramleela performers came from the same family for generations. With changing times and depiction of epics such as Mahabharata and Ramayana, local Ramleelas have witnessed interesting changes in its traditions.You will now find an MBA, ayurveda doctor or people from other walks of life performing in these epic dramas.This has kept the tradition alive and resulted in value addition.

On Monday, TOI visited various Ramleela pandals to find out how the staging of the dance drama in the city has changed.

"We have artistes who do not perform full time. We have a biology teacher from a private school in Kota, who is also a vice-principal, and plays the part of `Manthara' with elan," said Srinath Gautam, team leader of Ramleela artists at Aadarsh Nagar.

He added that people were now also taking up performance as a hobby. "We have two young boys with MBAs who are working and into business. And they perform better than regular Ram leela artistes," Gautam added.

When asked how she took to Ramleela, Mamata Pancholi said, "We used to perform it in DCM, Kota and my husband and family supported us. It then became a regular annual affair. It also helps me to get out of my monotonous life." Ramleela artistes, however, said that since they had to compete also with television, it was difficult to survive without making suitable changes."We have made changes in the light and sound department. We also pen dialogues to keep the viewers engrossed," said Raj Kumari, who while not performing as `Kaikeyi' is an accountant at a private school.

Unlike in the past, artistes also feel the pinch of money earned from per the pinch of money earned from performing. "These days we are only into keeping the tradition alive. It has become more of a prayer and we perform from our reverence for Hindu deities," said an artiste.