New Delhi: Troupes from Indonesia and Cambodia, competition for the ‘best Ramayana Mandali’ and collective chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa — all over a period of three days. Months ahead of assembly elections, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has taken ‘Ram bhakti‘ to a new level by hosting the ‘National Ramayana Festival’ from 1 to 3 June in Raigarh, 260 km from state capital Raipur.
Ever since the Congress came to power in the state in 2018, the Baghel government has projected Ram as the ‘bhanja’ (nephew) of Chhattisgarh. To mark Ram’s connection with Chhattisgarh, the government sanctioned the Ram Vann Gaman Path — a tourist circuit based on what is considered the route taken by the Hindu god during his exile — soon after coming to power.
Earlier, the Baghel government’s ‘Gobar economy’ model based on the procurement of cow dung from cattle owners was also seen as appropriation of the cow.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the National Ramayana Festival, Baghel said, “Chhattisgarh is the land of Kaushalya Mata (Lord Ram’s mother).”
“Lord Shri Ram was expected to be crowned the king but instead he was sent into exile. During his time in the state, he met with Nishadraj, Shabri and various sages…He spent a significant period of his exile — 10 years — in Chhattisgarh, forging a deep connection with the state,” he further said, in a press release issued by the government.
“This is not a religious but a cultural event,” Vinod Verma, adviser to the chief minister, told ThePrint over phone.
“When you visit Chhattisgarh, you will see that the ‘mama’ (uncle) touches the nephew’s feet. There is a Ram Navami sampradaya (sect) that has their own culture and form of revering Ram. They have tattooed the word ‘Ram’ all over their body. The Chhattisgarhi Ram is not the combative one that has come to symbolise the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). We talk about ‘Sabka (everyone’s) Ram’,” he added.
According to Diwakar Muktibodh, a political analyst from Raipur, the festival promotes Baghel’s Chhattisgarhi chhavi (Chhattisgarhi image).
“Since he came to power, Baghel has built his image as a son of the soil. He organised a state-wide Olympics for Chhattisgarhi sports, celebrates all Chhattisgarhi festivals and has even announced holidays for some of them. The National Ramayana Festival ties into that,” he told ThePrint over the phone.
Muktibodh also said that till now the Congress’s strategy in Chhattisgarh was that of a “soft” Hindu push. “Now it may not be that soft, but it’s still not as hardcore as the BJP. Baghel has appropriated the cow, he’s appropriated Ram and there’s nothing left for the BJP to do in the state,” he said.
Speaking to ThePrint on condition of anonymity, a top Congress leader in the state said that Ram was the party’s answer to the BJP’s nationwide nationalism plank.
“While they have their nationalism, we have our sub-nationalism. That is why it is important to project Ram as a cultural icon as opposed to a religious icon. We are looking at this as the cultural renaissance of Chhattisgarh — something that the BJP had not tapped into,” he added.
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Kumar Vishwas to Indian Idol
While the Chhattisgarh government has been organising this event since it came to power, this is the first time it was held on a national scale, sources in the Baghel government told ThePrint.
During the three-day festival, groups from Indonesia, Cambodia and 12 Indian states presented renditions of the Ramayana specific to their regions. There was also a daily competition on the theme of the Ramayana’s ‘Aranya Kand’ — which covers the exile period — wherein various ‘Ram Mandalis’ from across the country competed for the ‘Best Ram Mandali’ award.
That apart, singers from the reality show Indian Idol were also invited to sing devotional songs, while popular poet Kumar Vishwas performed a piece called Apne apne Ram on the final day that spoke about the various forms of Ram. Every day, a synchronised reading of the Hanuman Chalisa was also held.
‘Best way to organise people’
According to Muktibodh, quoted earlier, religious or cultural festivals offer a huge boost to the Congress in the state. “The people get enthused, especially in rural areas as there’s not much happening in those places. People attend such events in large numbers,” he said.
“Chhattisgarh is probably the first state where the Congress has had such a strong Hindu push. They’ve taken BJP’s weapon away from them. More importantly, Baghel has also established himself as the most popular cultural face of the state. Maybe Chhattisgarh is the only state where Rahul Gandhi would be the second Congress face, Baghel being the first,” he added.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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