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Dussehra celebrated with fanfare
Indo-Asian News Service

New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) Effigies of demon king Ravana were burnt amid chants of "Jai Sri Ram" and bursting of crackers across the capital Wednesday to celebrate Dussehra, symbolising the victory of good over evil.

Dussehra coincided with the immersion of Durga idols in the Yamuna river, marking the end of the puja festival.

Larger-than-life effigies of Ravana and his brothers Meghanad and Kumbhakaran were burnt in many neighbourhoods across New Delhi, as people gathered in huge numbers to celebrate Dussehra with traditional gaiety.

Dussehra also marked the beginning of a 20-day period that will culminate with Diwali, the festival of lights.

Standing atop trucks, devotees and enthusiasts dressed as Ram, Ravana and their followers recreated the mythological war between Hindu god and the demon king depicted in the epic Ramayana.

The nine-day fest of Ram Lila, the saga of Hindu lord Ram, staged at many places, concluded Tuesday and was topped off by Dussehra celebrations as devotees chanted "Ramchandra ki jai" (Long live Lord Ram).

Spectators at the oldest Ram Lila event at the Ram Lila ground here were in for a surprise as its organisers decided to rewrite the script this year by killing Ravana first instead of at the end of the show.

The crowd, numbering over 10,000, was stunned into silence and slogans dried up as the Ravana statue was set afire first rather than that of Kumbhkaran.

The Ram Lila at the ground has been organised for the past 150 years, with India's erstwhile British rulers granting it formal permission in 1921.

"This is a poor show, these people should have organised it in a better manner," said Shubham, 24, an architecture student.

Similar were the views of a woman, Sunita, 36, who said: "They have made changes in one of the oldest epics of India. It is not right." 

The chief guests of the evening, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, would have been perplexed too.

"The festival symbolises victory of truth over untruth," said Manmohan Singh.

Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP and son of Sonia Gandhi, and Priyanka, his sister, too were present for the celebrations.

All roads to the Ram Lila ground were blocked as police had a difficult time controlling the swelling crowd.

The day was also marked by the immersion of goddess Durga's idols as the puja festival came to an end.

More than 160 pandals or marquees were put up across the capital to celebrate the festival. Chittaranjan Park neighbourhood in south Delhi, which has a large Bengali population, was the prime attraction.

Devotees were seen shouting slogans while taking statues of the goddess for immersion in Yamuna river. Elaborate preparations were made by the police to ensure the event passed off peacefully. 

Hundreds of devotes thronged beautifully decorated marquees since Wednesday morning to pay their final obeisance to goddess Durga.

"I went to a puja pandal with my family in the morning and offered prayers," said Arghya Sanyal, a devotee.

"In Chittaranjan Park, the celebrations are special. The atmosphere is just as in Kolkata with friends and relatives nearby," said Swapna Roy, 40.

To attract visitors, various puja committees arranged special cultural programmes.

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh greeted the nation on the occasion.

The immersion of the goddess began Wednesday and would continue Thursday. 

Civic authorities in Delhi made special arrangements for Durga puja.

"We engaged extra people to keep a vigil on the roads and power supply at places where Durga puja is being celebrated. Special ramps have been arranged for the idol immersion at selected places on the banks of the Yamuna," said R.K. Meena, the engineer-in-chief of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.