VARANASI: Ramlila is all about victory of good over evil. Despite being predictable, the triumph of Ram and Lakshman over Ravan is celebrated in Ramlilas across India. However, the spectators of the historic Laat Bhairo Ramlila in Varanasi were in for something unpredictable when they gathered to watch the 'Ram-Kevat samwad' episode near Dhanesra pond on Saturday night. Instead of mouthing dialogues on stage, Ram and Lakshman were sitting on dharna in full costume along with other members of the Ramlila committee. They were protesting against the sanitary condition around the pond which was so pathetic that they had taken ill.Organisers claim that Laat Bhairo Ramlila dates back to mid-16th century. While most acts are staged at the Laat Bhairo temple in Adampura area here, the crew moves to Dhanesara pond for two episodes for a touch of reality - the Ram-Kewat samwad and the episode where Kewat takes Ram, Lakshman and Sita across the Ganga.On Saturday evening when the Ramlila team reached Dhanesra, it found the pond full of garbage. And the stink was so intense that the two artistes playing Ram and Lakshman fell ill. They started puking.Led by Ram and Lakshman, the enraged artistes sat on a dharna on the site, refusing to continue with the show. Soon, committee president Ram Avtar Pandey reached the spot and contacted the municipal commissioner. ADM city Vinay Kumar Singh and additional municipal commissioner AK Singh also rushed there to convince the actors to call off their protests. Finally, after the officers assured the Ramlila team that the pond and the Ramlila ground would be cleaned, Saturday's episode of 'Ram-Kevat Samvad' was performed, more than two hours behind schedule.Pandey told TOI that the Ramlila was being performed since 1545 but such a problem was never faced in the past. He alleged that some people living near Dhanesra pond had conspired to stop the centuries-old event by dumping garbage. He added that no efforts were made to clean the ground for the festive season despite the district administration and Varanasi Municipal Corporation being informed about the condition of the site.District magistrate Surendra Singh said the process of removing encroachment from around Dhanesra pond had been started. "Solid and other waste have been dumped in this pond for years. Annoyed over being removed, the squatters dumped more garbage in the past few days,” he added, claiming that the VMC carried out a mega drive on Sunday to clean the pond.UP minister and MLA from Varanasi South Neelkanth Tiwari said, “This pond has been selected for revival and beautification and encroachers are being removed. Once this project is complete, all the problems of locals as well as the Ramlila committee would be over.”Ironically, this is the second instance of a Ramlila being hit by poor civic condition in last 10 days. On September 26, the ‘Phulwari’ episode of Ramnagar Ramlila had to be postponed as all four boys in the lead roles of Ram, Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughna had to be hospitalised due to diarrhoea.

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