Aishbagh Ramleela a cut above the rest, courtesy modern touch

Lucknow: The Aishbagh Ramleela, one of the oldest in the city, is one up on the others, courtesy infusion of technology. From 2007, when it was staged with just a few props, to now when it is backed by animation and graphics shown on a LED screen, the show has undergone a sea change, both in terms of portrayal as well as ambience.

President of Aishbagh Ramleela Samiti Harishchandra Agrawal said that the Ramleela was brought on the stage for the first time in 2007.

“At first, the play based on the life of Lord Ram was staged on the ground without any stage. Some props like a throne for Lord Ram were used back then but post 2007 we came up with a makeshift arrangement. Simple lights were used along with recorded dialogues as part of the play. Hanumanji was shown bringing medicines for Laxman through a trolley which was attached to a rope,” said Agrawal.

A permanent stage has been constructed as part of a renovation project. Last year, Ramleela was staged on this permanent stage .

These days, the committee has been getting an animated video recorded for some scenes, including one related to Hanuman flying with the mountain or Ravan on his Pushpak Viman while kidnapping Sita.

“The photos of the actors playing Hanuman, Ravan or Sita in the scene are used to make the videos look more realistic. For other scenes we use the LED screen as a live background. We are planning to utilize artificial intelligence from next year onwards,” Agrawal added.

However, other Ramleela samitis are sticklers for traditions . At Mahanagar Ramlila, the LED screen is only used for some scenes like Lanka Dahan.

“We tried using LED screens along with the Ramleela play but after the audience’s feedback we withdrew the idea,” said a member of the Mahanagar Ramlila committee.

In Mausamganj Ramleela in Daliganj traditional sets are used. In the scene involving Hanuman, the actor is brought on a trolley in a certain way that looks as if the actor is flying in the sky.