Nagpur: The Sanatan Dharam Yuvak Sabha will stage Ravan dahan at Kasturchand Park (KP) ground on October 18 at 5pm. Various cultural activities will be held before the burning of the effigies of demon king and his son Meghnad and brother Kumbhkaran.Addressing the media on Tuesday, Vijay Kher, who heads the Dusshera committee of the organization gave details of the programme.“A dance drama based on different episodes from Ramayan directed by Nitin Bansod will be presented. The special effects and sound and light arrangements for this have been done by a Mumbai based firm. The highlight of the drama are visuals of Hanuman flying in the sky carrying sanjeevani buti,” he said.This year, the organization has also invited 40 members of Ramtek based dance troupe ‘AP Rockers’ who had recently participated in a dance reality show. They will be presenting Ganesh Vandana, the tales of valour of Shivaji Maharaj and dance based on patriotic songs. The show will be followed by spectacular fireworks. Special giant screens will be set up to make it possible for the huge crowd to watch the show.Giving details of parking arrangements, Kher said that considering the heritage status of the park, arrangements for car parking have been made at Bishop Cotton School grounds and only two-wheelers will be allowed to be parked at KP ground. Gate no. 1 and 2 will be for entry by members of the Sanatan Dharam Yuvak Sabha, media persons and those holding VIP passes. For those holding VVIP passes, entry will be from gate no. 3 opposite Reserve Bank while those with donor passes will be able to enter the ground from gate no. 4 opposite petrol pump.Puja will be offered for the effigies of Ravan, Kumbhkaran and Meghnaad at 5pm amid traditional dances and playing of band and dhol. The silver jubilee edition of the magazine ‘Sanatan Samachar’ will also be released on the occasion. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and union minister Nitin Gadkari will be the chief guest at the event.In another part of the city at Quetta Colony, the Pujya Panchayat has been burning an effigy of Ravan on Dusshera for the past 56 years. “This year, too, we will start the shobha yatra comprising of 13 characters from the Ramayan, from Panch Bhavan at 3.50pm,” said Lakhan Nagapal, secretary of the organization. “It will reach the Kachi Beesa ground around 6pm after which there will be a firework show and the 35ft effigy will be burned at 7pm,” he informed.Creating these effigies for the past seven decades is the family of Hemraj Binwar who works in Mahal. “Around 40 effigies are made by our family and we get orders from far off places in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Vidarbha,” said Binwar. “The biggest effigies are put up in KP ground and this year Ravan is 60ft tall. We have applied fluorescent colours on the faces which will shine in the dark and have also put social messages like ‘Save girl child’ and ‘Save Kashmir’ on the skirts of these characters,” he added.

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