Srinagar, Oct 19: With Dussehra just a day away, the final touches are being given to towering effigies of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhkaran at Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir ground, where four artisans are working against the clock to bring the figures to life for Tuesday’s celebrations.
Among them are Pardeep, 27 and Karan, 28, from Uttar Pradesh, alongside Mohammad Rafiq, 30, from Qazigund and Sartaj Ahmad Koka, 32, from Baramulla. Under the supervision of two Kashmiris, the team is assembling the figures piece by piece, joining their arms, legs and other components to complete the structures.
The team said preparations were being finalised for Tuesday’s Dussehra celebrations and the traditional ‘Ravan Dahan’ at SK Stadium in Srinagar.
Sartaj Ahmad said preparations begin weeks before the festival. “The cut-outs come from outside Kashmir, with the materials brought from Uttar Pradesh, prepared in Jammu and transported to Srinagar for final assembly.”
Karan, the artisans from Uttar Pradesh said their work is a craft shaped by years of experience. “We have been making effigies for around a decade, including at the Sher-e-Kashmir ground in Srinagar, where the work has continued for the past six years. We have been visiting every year, especially for this work,” he said.
Pardeep, another workers told KNO that this year’s Ravana effigy stands around 20 feet tall, with grass and firecrackers placed inside the structures as part of the preparations for the traditional Dussehra spectacle.
“Once the materials reach the ground in Srinagar, we start assembling the figures, which takes around two days. The effigies are erected and made ready on the morning of the festival,” said Karan, the artisan from Uttar Pradesh.
Notably, the artisans, busy with the final touches, said their task is to ensure that all three figures were ready before the celebrations began. “All three towering effigies of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhkaran will be assembled and ready by tomorrow morning,” they said.
It is worth mentioning, that Dussehra, which marks the victory of good over evil, is traditionally celebrated with the burning of Ravana’s effigy, symbolising the defeat of evil. Across India, the festival brings communities together through local celebrations and age-old customs—(KNO)
