Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Dussehra Celebrations might turn sour this year

My friend has come all the way from London to celebrate Dussehra and Diwali with us in India. He loves the way festivals are celebrated in India. The pomp and gaiety of festive celebrations in our country is known all over the world.

My friend asked me to visit a nearby Ramlila. I was a bit reluctant in going to Ramlila initially as there is a huge crowd over there but as he pushed me hard, I took him there. I was really surprised to find a lesser number of people over there. At first I thought that it is yet another cause of the latest Mall culture in Delhi where people prefer to go for shopping, watching movies, having dinner or just chilling out. Who has time to visit these crowded, noisy places like Ramlila? But then after looking at the tight Police security in the Ramlila ground, I realised what is the exact cause for this. The number of blasts that took place in different parts of Delhi in last few days have seriously affected the usual Ramlila celebrations. Although, Delhi Police has tightened its security system but people are scared and prefer to stay at their homes only. Since so many years, Ramlila is considered as an important part of Dussehra celebrations. It generally starts nine days before Dussehra. Be it rural or urban areas, people really cherish going to this fare. It is a place full of fun-filled activities such as riding on swings, eating street food, watching theatrical performance based on Lord Ram's life and lot more.

But, this year many people did not visit Ramlila. Terror has taken such a toll on Delhiites that they prefer to stay at their homes than enjoying themselves at such fares. I do not think many people will visit Ramlila on Dussehra too. They will rather prefer to watch the effigies burn on their Television sets. When Ramlila could not bring people out of their homes, who can expect the usual crowd and festive spirit during Diwali too. I am sure it can be a cause of concern for many who do good businesses during Diwali days.

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