Festive fervour peaks as residents celebrate Vijayadashami, Dussehra

The nine-day Navratri and Durga Puja festivities came to a close on Tuesday with the celebration of Vijayadashami, while residents also came together in the evening to mark the end of Ramlila festivities with “Ravan Dahan”or burning of effigies of Ravana and his kin, to symbolise the victory of good over evil. A fourth effigy, personifying inflation and corruption, was also burnt at a Ramlila fair on Tuesday.

In the morning, residents took out idol processions from Durga Puja pandals and immerse the idols of the goddess in artificial ponds or pits created by the authorities. In the evening, residents came together burnt effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna and son Meghnad.

The Greater Noida Sharadia Sanskritik Samiti (GNSSS) immersed the idol in an artificial pond created inside the Greater Noida Kalibari temple campus in Sector Pi-2.

“A procession was taken out through a few residential sectors following which the idol was brought back to the temple campus and immersed in the artificial pond. As the idol was made of clay and no artificial colours were used, the immersion was done in an eco-friendly manner,” said Manindra Mandal, general secretary of GNSS.

In Noida, the goddess Durga idol of Balaka Durgotsav was immersed in an artificial pond made by the Noida Authority.

“Similar to previous years, after all rituals and customs, the goddess was placed carefully in a truck and hundreds of devotees took out a procession to bid adieu to their beloved ‘Maa’. The idol was immersed in the artificial pond created at the junction of Sector 74 and 113,” said Anuj Chakraborty from Balaka Durgotsav in Sector 62.

The Noida authority has created six pits in sectors 25, 62, 116-117,120,105 and 135 to facilitate idol immersion, a statement from the Noida authority said.

Tuesday evening saw huge effigies of Ravana, his son Meghnad and brother Kumbhakarna were burnt at various Ramlila grounds across Noida and Greater Noida.

City streets filled with people rushing to watch ‘Ravan dahan’ at some of the major Ramlila venues -- in Noida Stadium in Sector 21, in Sector 62, and at Site-4, Greater Noida. As part of the grand Dussehra celebrations, 70 foot tall effigies of Ravana were erected at these Ramlila grounds.

“At least 50,000 people visited the fair on Tuesday to watch the Ravan Dahan at Noida Stadium. This was the highest footfall in the past three years,” said TN Chaurasia, president of Shri Sanatan Dharm Ramlila Committee (SSDRC).

In Sector 62, the Shri Ram Mitra Mandal Ramlila Committee (SRMMC) also erected a fourth effigy, personifying inflation and corruption.

“The fourth effigy was 15 foot tall, signifying inflation and corruption. Along with the traditional effigies, the fourth effigy was also burnt down on Dussehra this year,” said Munna Kumar Sharma, general secretary of SRMMC, adding that over 30,000 people attended the event on Tuesday.

There was heavy police deployment at all Ramlila venues.

“Over 400 police officers were deployed in areas around the Ramlila grounds in Noida and Greater Noida, including companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary, police guards, and anti-riot teams. Fire services were also present at these grounds as a precautionary measure,” said Anand Kulkarni, join commissioner of police (law and order).

As per a Noida traffic police, vehicular movement was stopped on roads leading to the Noida Stadium in Sector 21A, as well as around Sector 62 Ramlila ground of Noida and traffic diversions were put in place.

At Prateek Wisteria apartments in Sector 77, as many as 125 children aged between three and 14 performed a two-day Ramlila for residents of the high-rise society.

“In order to promote culture and encourage various kinds of talent among children, a two-day children’s Ramlila is organised in our society every year. The children were practising for the past two months, with the help of adults, who also take care of direction, music, scriptwriting, costumes, props and other backstage technicalities. The activity instills confidence among children and also gives them a chance to overcome stage fright and gain confidence,” said Avnish Kumar,mentor of the show and a resident of Prateek Wisteria apartments.