Shiv Kumar Padha
It will not be an exaggeration if we call Basohli Ramleela a real depiction of Lord Rama’s life from birth till he renounced the world and went to his heavenly abode. Basohli Ramleela is both a festival and an occasion when all the aspects of Lord Rama’s entire life, on the planet earth, are staged before a mammoth gathering. It is the Basohli Ramleela celebrations where Lord Rama is experienced as has been animated and dwelling in the soul and minds of the people inspiring them to follow the footprints of Lord Rama in all aspects of their lives. Basohli has been one of the most rich, prosperous and vast among the 22 Duggar states of Jammu and Kashmir till it lost its statehood and was merged with the autonomous Dogra state under Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1846. The subjects of Basohli principality had been scholars and connoisseurs of chiterkala, performing arts like dance, music, and have been persons of exemplary and extraordinary aesthetic senses with the result the art of drama, dance and music flourished and scaled heights during the nineteenth century which the natives have preserved.
Being inherited with the traits of music, dance and drama, the natives of the town Basohli have been playing theater and drama since the time the present developed towns of the state were in infancy. According to the verbal and the written record available, the celebrations of Basohli Ramleela dates back to the early 20th century, when the local artists called Ras Dhariye from the neighboring towns of Punjab and Himachal Pardesh used to play Ras Leela in an open arena. Inspired by the Ras mandlies, the artists started staging Ramleela in a hall called Mandua, a kind of theater of that time. During those days there was neither the facility of lights nor of public address system, as we have today.
The use of latest innovation in the celebrations of the Ram Leela revolutionized the concept of its presentation. Inspired by the innovations, the management committee started staging it in the vast open ground having a capacity to accommodate large gatherings. Instead of one stage, Ramleela was now staged on five different stages, Ayodhya, Lanka, Mareech, Saroopnakha, Sumeru Parbhat for Hanuman and Sugreev and a vast space for the battles between the kings.
The presentation of the life like scenes during the celebrations glorifies the functions which attract large number of viewers from the adjacent states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. The characters performing the role of Ram, Sita, Ravan and others remain on ten days fast. Great emphasis is given on the maintenance of sanctity of the adjoining areas.
Like the sacred festivals of Eid Mubarak, Diwali the family members of the town, irrespective of religion, hold their breath till the celebrations start in the town. Harmony and brotherhood between different communities mark the Ramleela celebrations.
In order to commemorate and transmit to the next generations, the exemplary life history of Bhagwan Ram as an ideal son, brother, king, disciple and philanthropist is depicted during ten days celebrations. Ramleela is celebrated not only in India but in many other parts of the world every year. Like Sindhu Darshan festival of Leh, week long mega festival of Ladakh, KheerBhawani of Kashmir, Bawa Jitto and Ram Navami of Jammu, Basohli Ramleela celebrations are famous and unique in respect of its life like presentation, dialogue delivery, sanctity, religious harmony, and discipline. The countdown for the preparations of the Ramleela celebrations starts from the Raksha Bandan poornima with the hoisting of the traditional Mahavir Pataka in the premises of Ramleela ground.
Every episode of the Ramleela starts with the tableau of Ram janam, appearance of Sita from beneath the ground, decoration of Dhanushyagya arena and exchange of dialogues, felling of seven Taar briksh (trees) by Ram with one arrow in order to exhibit his capability of killing the evil forces, flight of Hanuman with sanjeevani booti, glowing of Lakshmanrekha every time Ravan attempts to cross it and Ram vanvas are worth seeing. The costumes, the crowns and the tiaras worn by the characters add to the beauty of the presentation. Thousands of the spectators from within and outside the state throng Basohli town during the celebrations. Due to the observance of self-discipline by the spectators no case of theft, pick pocketing, quarreling, eve teasing or of any untoward incident is reported during the ten day festival. The sanctity of the Ramleela mandup is maintained both by the management and the spectators as a result no case of smoking/drinking is reported during the presentation. There is restriction imposed on the entry into the mandup wearing the leather shoes or any leather article. The management and the persons playing the roles of characters observe fast during the celebrations. There is equal participation of Hindus and Muslims in the management and celebration of the Ramleela which is a rare example of religious harmony seen in the present scenario.
Basohli Ramleela is the first in the state which has been recognized by the state cultural academy vide its order No.ADM-70/66-67/3789 dated 10-12-1966. The Ramleela committee has got good assets in the shape of accommodation, costumes, sophisticated electronic gadgets and the hard cash which is donated by the people with smiling face. Basohli RamLeela has been lucky enough to have its presidents persons of high stature and credibility who have revolutionized and overhauled the whole system by their experience and dedication. Every dedicated president of Ramleela steered the committee in the direction of progress and has added many new dimensions to the existing set up.
Fascinated and influenced by the performance and the heights Ram Leela attained in the field of management, performance and presentation during its long journey since 1920, LG Manoj Sinha decided to declare Basohli Ramleela a Mahotsav. He has been kind enough to join the natives during the festivities and encouraged the natives, artists and persons involved in different vocations. Like the previous celebrations, this year Principal Sec. Culture has been sparing no efforts to make it more successful and tempting. This year the Basohli Mahotsav will be organized from Oct. 10-12. Apart from the Ramleela presentations, Basohli Utsav will feature exhibition of local arts and culture including world famous Basohli miniature paintings, cultural programs heritage exhibition, book fair, and other activities. The visitors would also get a chance to relish local cuisines and enjoy boating and water sports. With the concerted efforts of the natives and the UT administration the Ramleela Mahotsav will prove a mile stone in the history of celebrations. The Utsav has come on the annual agenda of the UT administration and will be celebrated every year with more efforts and enthusiasm than before.
With the completion of Atal Setu bridge over river Ravi, Ramleela committee is experiencing a big boost due to the influx of large number of viewers from the adjoining states. In order to entertain them, the committee plans some additional programs of culture, folk dances and songs by different organizations every year. In order to make the celebrations a success the state and the district authorities lend their cooperation in the matters of security, maintenance of law and order during the Navratras. The different TV channels also cover and telecast the Ramleela every day. It is worth mentioning here that the Basohli Ramleela has been adjudged at number one among the RamLeelas staged in metros of the country.
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