Epic show: Three generations of Ram’s family celebrate 50 years of Ramlila

Bhagwati Prashad Gaur, Chandigarh’s Lord Ram, marks 50 years of association with Ramlilas in the city this year. The fact that three generations of his family have participated in the Garhwal Ramlila of Sector 22-C makes it the longest connection anyone in the city has ever had to this festive season extravaganza.

Gaur, who was born in Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand, came to Chandigarh in 1969 and participated in the Ramlila in the first year.

A UT education department employee who retired from the district education office a few years ago, he started young, performing in Ramlila back in his village with his father when he was just five years old.

“People would see Ram in me, with some of the elderly even touching my feel. My co-actors too would call me Ram. I would feel his presence when I would act out his role. I was driven by it,” said Gaur. 

After his journalist son Vijay, now 37, took on the ‘mantle’ of Ram in the late ’90s,Gaur took to managing the Sector 22 Ramlila, playing raja Dashratha and smaller roles occasionally.

He was also elected the president of the Garhwal Ramleela Avam Sanskritic Mandal in Sector 22-C and the general secretary of the Chandigarh Kendriya Ramlila Mahasabha.

On changes down the years, he said, “Now people want a fusion of the old with the new. Men would play the role of women earlier, but now more women have joined the group. We have playback singers for artistes who can’t sing as well as they act, which wasn’t acceptable before. But the same style, and the same songs are adopted. People want to relive the old songs in a new way.”

Gaur’s eldest son, Deepak, aged 39, working as a junior assistant in the public works department of the Chandigarh municipal corporation and best known as Laxman, will play Ram this year.

Reminiscing over Ramlilas past, Deepak said Laxman’s role grew on him over the years even as his younger brothers Vijay and Ajay, 34, a computer teacher in the Government Model Senior Secondary School , Sector 23, played Ram. “There was a craze of Ramlilas then, not now, and we would grab any roles. I played a variety of children’s roles and even monkeys before I was chosen as Laxman. One year I had to just do nothing by raise the curtains for the performances and I was thrilled.”

Gaur’s grandchildren have also started acting. His eldest grandson, Raghav, aged 11, and Gatik, aged 7, play young Ram and Laxman, respectively. Granddaughter Gunmun is young Sita.

Youngest grandson Daivik Gaur, just two years old, will feature in his second performance as baby Ram.