This story is from October 15, 2018

From Moradabad to Delhi: To play God & help you do it too

From Moradabad to Delhi: To play God & help you do it too
NEW DELHI: Pradeep Sharma, 65, is a Ramlila veteran. Like many others, he comes to Delhi every year from Moradabad to perform in Ramlilas across the city. It was in 1966, when he was just 14, that Sharma first came to Delhi as part of one of the earliest contingents from the western Uttar Pradesh town.
While there are hundreds of people who descend on the capital from Moradabad in the festive season, Sharma’s Adarsh Kala Sangam troupe — which includes his wife, Jeevan Lata, and elder son Ankit — is a family-run operation where the father directs the play and is the main playback artiste; the wife does the make-up and the son conducts workshops for budding artistes from Moradabad who are keen on keeping the legacy alive.

When this reporter visited one of the many colourful tents gracing the dusty Ramlila Maidan ground, he found artistes sitting in anticipation awaiting their turn to get their make-ups done from Jeevan Lata. Others could be seen getting ready with their costumes and props. “Tonight is special for me because this is where my character, Sumant, the faithful minister of Ram’s father, Dashratha, will have an important role to play in the story,” said Pawan Kumar Tripathi, a clerk at a Moradabad college who has “a passion for acting”. The age of these artistes ranges from 15 to 50.
Ramlila has created a special link between Moradabad and Delhi. This connect probably dates back to 1965 when three friends from Moradabad participated in a Shobha Yatra parade as designers and production men. “These three were interested in theatre and requested that people from Moradabad be allowed to attend the programme,” Sharma said. Next year, a 35-member contingent — of which an 14-year-old Sharma was a part — came to Delhi. “I played the role of Lakshman back then,” he recalled. Sharma claimed that it was their group that introduced women artistes at a time when it was a male bastion. “These days, we have at least 10 women in our troupes,” he said. While Sharma later went on to complete his doctorate in Hindi, he didn’t forgo his love for theatre. “Every year, we would come to Delhi to perform. We used to practise by enacting Parsi plays for the audience back home,” he said.
His son, Ankit, assists him in selecting the actors. “We don’t do auditions. But if someone shows interest, we give them work in the troupe and provide them exposure through small roles,” the 38-year-old, who is playing Ravana this year, said. Their support has done a world of good to, say, 15-year-old Arpit Sharma, a theatre fan. “I always wanted to participate in Ramlilas. It is our city’s pride and I want to play the role of Lord Parshuram some day,” he said.
The actors at the Shree Dharmik Leela Committee are also from Moradabad. Anuj Saxena, who has been playing Rama for nine years, said that he took leave from work to come to Delhi for 11 days. Explaining the popularity of the Moradabadi style, Saxena said the actors did not speak aloud. It’s the playback artistes who deliver the dialogues. Hence, the man who voices Rama can also give the voice for Ravana. The good diction, he said, keeps the audience captivated.
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