Last night, Mansi and I were driving by Chopatty beach when we noticed a huge seated crowd and a glowing stage. We parked and went to investigate. It was a free performance of the Ram Lila.
We entered when Hanuman was talking to Ravan. The audience seemed mostly north-Indian: from Bihar, UP and Rajasthan. It was great to see such an old folk art-form alive and well in a rapidly changing megapolis such as Bombay.
However, clearly the attention given to the sets was anything but folk. They seemed to be influenced by B-Grade serials such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata that were aired in the 90s. The voices of the actors resounded violently through the massive speaker systems, but unfortunately, I couldn't understand what they were saying. They were speaking in Hindi with rigid body movements and heavy facial expressions.
When we left, we noticed a street-seller selling Ram Lila "merchandise:" cellophane rapped "gaddhas," swords, and bows and arrows. In India, toy tie-ins are passe!
When we left, we noticed a street-seller selling Ram Lila "merchandise:" cellophane rapped "gaddhas," swords, and bows and arrows. In India, toy tie-ins are passe!
No comments:
Post a Comment