118. performance
generations. “Feeling, emotion, devotion!” It is repeatedly stressed that
these make Ramnagar’s Ramlila special and great.PARTICIPATION
Much more than a conventional drama, the Ramlila is a vast participatory event. At
its heart are the energy and emotion ofbhakti—a word usually translated as “de-
votion,” but coming from a Sanskrit root whose meanings include “sharing” and
“participation.” It is impossible to set down all the ways in which the audience takes
part. Standard kinds of activity and particular events can be described. But on the
scene unexpected things are always happening; people find individual ways to ex-
press their involvement, and the borderline between actors and audience, between
the Ramlila event and the world beyond it, is always fluctuating. Here are a few ex-
amples of the more prominent forms of participation:
- The people raise a set cheer when certain important characters speak. It be-
gins with Bol!(“Speak!” or “Say it!”). Ram’s cheer continues, Raja Ram-
chandra ki jai!(“Victory to King Ramchandra!”). There are similar cheers
for the other svarups and for Hanuman. One also hears countless times the
Shiva cheer, Hara Hara Mahadev!This is shouted with great gusto when
the Maharaja comes or goes, when Shiva appears as a character in the
Ramlila, or when Ram worships the image of Shiva. - A number of people carry the text of the Ramcharitmanasand read it, usu-
ally aloud, as it is sung by the Ramayanis (twelve men who sing Tulsi’s
poem throughout the performance). - People sing kirtan(names of God—most often jai siyaram / sitaram—in
repetitive melodies). There are certain moments when the kirtanalways
arises: one is when the exiled gods are offered meals by sages in forest
ashrams; another is just before arati,the brilliant illumination of the gods
that climaxes each night ’s Lila. Before the Lila begins each day, and during
regular breaks, kirtanis the special province of the sadhus,among whom
there are always a few with drums and cymbals to maintain the throbbing
rhythm. - They worship. This includes making offerings and receiving prasadbefore
the performance starts or during breaks. Prasad(grace) is any physical
item that has been blessed by contact with the deities. It can be flower gar-
lands, sweets, fruits, sacred basil leaves. Once I saw a man give pan(leaf-