What was all the more intriguing was that it happened while the play was on.
While people were in full festive mood for Ramleela on Thursday, high intensity winds played spoilsport. The cyclonic winds not only damaged the stage and the makeshift overhead pandal erected for seating the guests but also spoiled the spirit of the occasion, albeit momentarily.
The mishap put off both the audience and the organisers.
Raghvendra Dubey of Shri Ramlakhan Dharmik Lila Samiti, organisers of Ramleela at Sector 46 playground, said that the stage was damaged by the high velocity winds to such an extent that staging the Ramleela at the same venue was not possible.
What was all the more worrying was that it happened while the play was on. People started trooping out of the venue with the first wind of bad weather. Yet the artists stood ground and went on performing their part. But with a sudden increase in the intensity of winds all hell broke loose
The stage could not withstand the fury of the monstrous winds and came crashing down. In the ensuing melee, everything went haywire. Suddenly the entire venue plunged into darkness and the audience started running helter-skelter in panic. Luckily, neither the audience nor the artists were hurt in the incident.
Dubey said the remaining episode of the play would now be performed at Agrasen Bhavan of Sector 33, Noida, as the winds had completely destroyed the stage and left the venue at Sector 46 playground in a shambles .
Sector 46 Ramleela is not alone to suffer from the nature’s frenzy. An entire portion of another stage at Noida stadium, Sector 21A, was badly damaged. Sanjay Bali of Sri Sanatan Dharm Ramlila Samiti narrated how the winds turned the celebrations into a nightmare.
Such was the chaos at the venue of the Ramleela that when the winds blew the stage apart that no one knew who was injured or who escaped unhurt. Bali, however, confirmed that the remaining episode would be staged at the same venue.
Thursday was the second day of Ramleela. The play will continue for eight more days before culminating on Dussehra with the burning of Ravana effigy.
