Along the Najafgarh Road at Titarpur in West Delhi, Ravanas are everywhere. Rows of towering wooden frames, wrapped in bright paper and awaiting their final embellishments, stand outside makeshift stalls stretching over a kilometre. Artisans bend over the structures, fastening strips of coloured paper with glue, sketching faces and adding the finishing touches. Some effigies are nearly ready for Dasara celebrations across the capital; others remain bare skeletons, waiting to be transformed.
Burning of Ravana effigies – symbolising the triumph of good over evil – is a key part of the Dasara celebrations. With just a few days left for Vijaya Dasami, Titarpur, Delhi’s well-known hub for Ravana effigies, is bustling with activity. But this year, the 10-headed demon is carrying more than his traditional moustache, crown and elaborate attire. He is also becoming a canvas for the city’s political anxieties, street protests, and public health concerns.
From the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the demonstrations at Jantar Mantar and the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to dengue, the issues dominating conversations in Delhi are finding their way into customers’ requests. Some want Ravana to reflect the protests, while a few have ventured into more provocative territory. “We have been receiving requests to make Ravanas on CJP theme. They say they will burn them. One customer wanted a green Ravana with ‘Pakistan’ written on it,” said Rahul, an artisan at one of the stalls. “Such requests are common, but we have to turn them down because they can land us in trouble and lead to legal cases. I tell them I will give them the Ravana; they can write whatever they like on it,” says Mr. Rahul, a BSc student from Begusarai in Bihar, who travels to Delhi for a month every year to help his father with the seasonal business.
His younger brother Raja, an MCA student in Jaipur, also joins the family business every year.
Artists work on effigies of Ravana in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
Charanjeet Singh, an artisan from Patiala who has been making Ravanas for a decade, said a customer wanted mosquitoes sketched on an effigy, with the word “dengue” written on it, reflecting concerns over the spread of the mosquito-borne disease in the city.
Mr. Singh, an autorickshaw driver, takes up effigy work during Dasara for the better earnings it offers and to indulge his creative side.
For Hussain, who was carefully attaching coloured paper to a wooden frame, the protests have become impossible to ignore. “This year is not the same as previous years. Because of the Jantar Mantar protest issue, the market has been affected. Those who celebrate are busy with the protests. Protests are everywhere, even on the Ravana,” he smiled, and recalled a customer who wanted Jantar Mantar depicted on a Ravana.
Mr. Hussain has been making the effigies for five years during the festival season. For the rest of the year, he repairs electronic appliances.
Colourful Ravanas kept for sale in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
Shiela, who has run her business for 15 years, said a customer wanted SIR written on Ravana. Her stall, one of the more colourful ones along the road, primarily caters to those looking for smaller effigies for community celebrations. Over the years, the family business has grown, with her daughters-in-law are also operating a stall next to hers.
“We design the Ravana according to the customer’s request. Someone asked us to write SIR on the structure, so we do what they ask us to,” she said.
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A little further along the road, four brothers — Shiva, Rahul, Aakash and Vikas — are looking beyond politics for inspiration. They have experimented with designs that draw on popular culture and consumer tastes. Their collection includes a Spider-Man-themed Ravana, one bearing the BMW logo and others featuring anime characters. “Whatever is trending, we make that. That is what people demand too,” they said.
Workers race against time to finish Ravana effigies in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
Yet, behind the bright colours and inventive designs lie an uncertain business.
Rahul remembers a time when orders came in greater numbers, and the stock rarely lasted until the end of the season. That rhythm, he said, has changed since the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We used to make 100-150 Ravanas during the season, and all of them would get sold. Now we make 50, and many of those also remain unsold,” he said.
For now, the craftsmen of Titarpur are adapting as they always have. Even the demon king must keep up with the times.