8 Ramleela mandals aroud Mumbai you should visit this festive season

The community connectOrganiser u00c2u0080u00c2u0088Adarsh Ramleela Mandal 52nd yearldquoWhen we started staging Ramleela in 1964 film artistes like Niranjan Sharma would perform with usrdquo informs Rajendra Agarwal secretary of the Mandal whose performance sees a crowd of 1000 on the first day and it gradually grows to a lakh during the 10day festival hosted at Girgaum Chowpatty Previously the performances were hosted at Shivaji Park too before it was declared a silent zone ldquoWe bring down an allmale group of artistes as part of Anant Ramleela Mandal from Mathura We also call technicians from Mathura for special light effects Our musicians come down from Gwalior and Mathura Of the five four are Muslims and one is a Hindurdquo he adds Post Dussehra the troupe will perform at Borivali and Cotton Green tooTill October 11 7 pm to 10 pm At Girgaum Chowpatty Charni RoadFrom October 14 to 23 At Ramleela Maidan Borivali W and opposite Ram Mandir Cotton GreenFrom Ayodhya to Jamaica via MumbaiOrganiser Maharashtra Ramleela Mandal 39th yearA member of the mandal waits for his turn at rehearsals PicSneha KharabeDid you know that the B Road at Churchgate is actually known as Pandit Shobhnath Mishra Marg christened after a gentleman credited for presenting the first Ramleela in the city back in 1953 at Goa Street in Fort neighbourhood Later he founded the Maharashtra Ramleela Mandal which has been presenting Ram leela for the past 39 years at Azad Maidan ldquoPreviously locals like paanwalas and taxiwalas would start practising a month prior to the festival and perform on stage Now we bring in professional artistes A narrator sings Chaupais fourline quatrains in Awadhi dialect before each performancerdquo informs Suresh Mishra general secretary of the organisation For the last nine years the team has been bringing down Pathar Mandir Ramleela or Adarsh Ramleela Mandal of Ayodhya mdash believed to be the birthplace of Lord Rama and the setting of the mythological epic Ramayana mdash to present the 10day dramatic folk reenactment of Lord Ramarsquos life Under the direction of Shashikant Das Tiwari the allmale team of 35 artistes has also performed in West Indies Jamaica and Mauritius ldquoThe male artistes perform female characters but there is no skin show or vulgar song and dance The performances are bhavnatmak driven by devotionrdquo shares TiwariTill October 11 6 pm to 10 pm At Azad Maidan entry opposite Metro Cinema Mahapalika Marg Fort FreeThe handson actOrganiser u00c2u0080u00c2u0088Grooming Babies 4th yearSahba Bhandula with handcrafted puppets PicsNimesh DaveWish to introduce your two or sixyearold to brave and righteous King Ram and the patient Queen Sita Then take them to attend Ramleela mdash Relive The Story a 45minute puppet drama rendition of Ramayana organised across various locations in the city In its fourth edition the show will be conducted by 72yearold actorpuppeteer Sahba Bhandula who had also created giant puppets for Ashwin Gidwanirsquos popular play Magic BallldquoThere are 10 characters and I have handcrafted all the puppets In the show we highlight four landmarks of Ramayana mdash Ramrsquos exile his life in the jungle abduction of Sita and finally the battle between Ravana and Ram We primarily use English however at times I have interwoven Hindi sentences when I felt the children needed explanation in an alternate languagerdquo informs Bhandula who is also the lead narrator of the show supported by another puppeteer from her team Together the duo present eight voices along with background theme musicOn October 8 5 pmAt NCPA Nariman PointLog on to wwwbookmyshowcom for more dates and venues Cost Rs 350Meet the secondgen performersOrganiser u00c2u0080u00c2u0088Shri Shakti Foundation 23rd yearThree dressed up actors pose prior to taking the stage PicSatej ShindeTo lsquooohsrsquo and lsquoaahsrsquo of kids seated in the front row a male artiste dressed as Hanuman enters to seek blessings of Ram and Sita portrayed by a man dressed in a womanrsquos garb The artistes are part of a 50member team from Vrindavan that is currently performing the Ramleela organised by Shri Shakti Foundation earlier known as Ramayan Prachar Samiti which would earlier do performances at in Juhu too ldquoWe have been inviting the same group for 23 years There are many secondgeneration artistes in the Ramleela For instance Hari Vallabh Sharma has taken over the narration from his fatherrdquo informs Suresh Chaudhary advisor at the foundation Till October 11 7 pm to 10 pm At Civil defence ground opposite Versova Metro Station Andheri WAll set for Sitarsquos SwamyamwarOrganiser u00c2u0080u00c2u0088Sahitya Kala Manch 37th yearRehearsals at Sahitya Kala Manch in Cross Maidan PicAtul KambleIn a tent pitched on the Azad Maidan ground director Lekh Ram Sharma gives lastminute instructions about stage entry to an artiste decked up in a traditional gold ensemble and a matching crown perched atop his shoulderlength wig As the protagonist makes an exit from the makeshift makeup room to cheers of lsquoJai shri Ramrsquo Sharma readies to cake up for his role as Ravana the main villain of an epic saga that is Ramayana They belong to an allmale 40member team Brij Vrindavan Ram Krishna Leela Sansthan which has been coming down to Mumbai from Vrindavan for the past 15 years While tonight 2500odd guests will witness the sequence of Dhanush Yagya where Ram broke a bow while stringing it to fulfill the condition for Sitarsquos swayamvar tomorrow will see them celebrate Ram Vivah Mahotsav on the grounds ldquoThe team brings their own costumes makeup artistes and musicians In fact they bring their food too We just have to give them a place to stayrdquo informs Vinay Mishra secretary of Sahitya Kala Manch On Dussehra night the performance will culminate with burning of a 60foottall effigy of RavanaTill October 11 7 pm to 10 pm At Azad Maidan entry opposite BMCacircu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Headquarters near CST station Mahapalika Marg FortRama in the digital ageOrganiser u00c2u0080u00c2u0088Sankalp Seva Trust 2nd yearAn LEDacircu00c2u0080u00c2u0088screen projects the backdrops for the performance PicAtul KambleA 300square foot white screen which serves as a backdrop for the stage lights up with projections of temples palaces and forests in sync with the performance sequences While artistes from Ramayana Pracharak Mandal in Chitrakoot Uttar Pradesh have come down to perform the male characters cityrsquos women performers play female characters ldquoWe use latest technology and sound system for our performances Last year 150 artistes from the city underwent a monthlong training in Bhiwandi They formed two groups called Ram Dal and Ravana Dal for the mega battle between the duo on the day of Dussehra This year too we are planning something similarrdquo informs Rajeshkumar Mishra treasurer of the Trust The venue in Ghatkopar also houses a 30feet tall effigy of Ravana crafted by artistes from Agra which will be burnt on the last day Till October 11 7 pm to 10 pm At Acharya Atre Ground Pant Nagar Colony Road Ghatkopar ENo gender bias hereOrganiser u00c2u0080u00c2u0088Shri Ramlila Prachar Samiti 35th yearArtist Sumit Khetan who dressed as Lord Vishnu during Ramleela at Malad PicSneha KharabeTonight if you drop by at Shahaji Raje Kridanga you will witness Sita decked in finery descend on a stage on a 20foot tall peacock A troupe of dancers will perform moves as she enacts the Swayamvar sequence choreographed by Sumit Khetan who made Ayushmann Khurrana and Sonu Sood dance to his moves The 27yearold who is a joint secretary of the Samiti has been essaying various roles in the Ramleela including that of Ram Laxman and Vishnu This year he plays Laxman in the Rajesh Rastogidirected act ldquoOne year I even choreographed a sequence where we made the Hanuman fly it was popularrdquo he says While most Ramleelas in the city feature allmale groups this one includes men and women ldquoWe bring them from Moradabad All of are welleducated and work at banks and dava medicine factories for most part of the year We have a stock of costumes but also hire from mythology TV show setsrdquo informs joint secretary Ashwani MittalTill October 11 730 pm to 10 pm At Shahaji Raje Kridangan Shivaji Chowk Haji Zakeria Road Mamledarwadi Malad WHalfcentury for this RamOrganiser Ramleela Seva Samiti 50th yearMakeup in progress PicAtul KambleEvery evening in September a group of city residents belonging to parts of Benaras Allahabad and Sultanpur would congregate at Bharat Bhavan in Ballard Estate to rehearse a script of Ramayana They included paanwalas taxi driversacircu00c2u0080u00c2u0088and working women The team which is part of Shri Shiv Shakti Kala Mandal an arts wing of the Ramleela Seva Samiti now performs at Cross Maidan for the 10day Ramleela performance ldquoItrsquos our passion for theatre and devotion to Lord Ram We donrsquot perform for professional reasonsrdquo says Nathulal Chaurasia who has been associated with the organisation since 1972 and has previously performed Bharatrsquos role younger brother of Ram Chaurasia recounts ldquoIn 1961 our director Bhuleshwar Nath Rai met a professor and assembled a script combining Valmikirsquos Ramayana with Tulsidasrsquo version to incorporate principles and teachings We perform that script which is in chaste Hindirdquo On whether the audience for Ramleela has dwindled with time Chaurasia admits ldquoThe time limit till 10 pm does not permit our audience mainly from Mangaldas Market Dawa Bazaar and Kalbadevi to watch the show in entirety as their businesses remain open till 8 pm So they donrsquot feel like stepping in only for an hour A Ramleela is best enjoyed if it is seen from start to endrdquoTill October 11 7 pm to 10 pmAt Cross Maidan New Marine Lines