As the festival of Vijaydashmi comes close, the city is seen gearing up for the festive time. It is the celebration of good over the bad and thus the effigies of Ravana are burnt in the city and other places to celebrate the same. Now we see the entire city getting into the festive mood. More than 11 effigies of Ravana are in the making in the city. Like the previous year, we have a similar sort of effigies being burnt again in Nagpur.
Apart from the 11 giant Ravana effigies, the city will have effigies of Kumbhakarna and Meghnad. As per reports, their orders were passed 3- months in advance. Since then the Binwar family has turned active in the city. The city will have effigies of Ravana that range from 10 – 60 feet high. The body parts are made in separate places and then they are compiled. These are made up of materials like bamboo, wood, paper, yarn, dyes, rope, and clay to name a few that are used to make them. The size and the content then decide the cost of the effigy.
The city witnessed a crunch of skilled artists for making Ravana and other effigies, which they do not get that easy. Hence the demand for the experienced personnel for this work seems to be high in demand. However, on the other side, new people also get the chance to learn and master their skills for working with bamboo structures and pasting paper. The tradition to burn the effigies are 41 years old in the city. And we see every year people showcasing their talents for the same.
