Generations unite as Sodal Road stages week-long Ram Leela
Jalandhar — For a few days every year, streets that normally hum with business and daily routines fall silent in the Sodal Road area as local residents don the roles of Ramayana characters and keep a 70-year-old Ram Leela tradition alive. The annual event at Ram Leela Maidan runs this year from October 12 to 20, drawing more than 25 artistes who mostly balance performances with private jobs or businesses, The Tribune reported.
Organised by the Navyuvak Mandal Ramleela Committee, the event is described by organisers as an act of devotion rather than a commercial venture. Sukhwinder Kalia, president of the committee and an industrialist, is the third generation of his family to lead the production; his late father, Ajotya Prakash Kalia, previously chaired the committee. The family bears the expenses for costumes, make-up and stage sets so that the play remains free for spectators, organisers said.
“For us, Ram Leela is not just a performance, it is a form of devotion and worship. We organise it free of cost so that everyone can come and witness it,”
Preparations are intensive. Rehearsals begin nearly a month before the first staging and take place each evening from 8 pm to 11 pm. During the performance nights, the actors and crew work long hours: shows run from 6 pm to 2 am, extending late into the night for numerous scenes and processions.
- Event: Ram Leela at Ram Leela Maidan, Sodal Road
- Dates: October 12–20
- Participants: More than 25 artistes (mostly working professionals or business owners)
- Rehearsal timing: ~8 pm–11 pm (starts a month in advance)
- Performance timing: 6 pm–2 am
Performers regularly take extended leaves from jobs to participate. Pawan Luther, who this year portrays Ravana, said he takes a month-long break from his marketing job and has been associated with the Ram Leela since the age of 14. Luther has played multiple roles over the decades, including Dashrath, Meghnad, Parshuram and Vishwamitra, and followed his father’s footsteps — Krishan Lal Luther previously played Lakshmana in the same production, organisers said.
For many families involved, the play is a lineage-based devotion. Committee members described the event as a collective responsibility: participants rehearse nightly and step into different roles whenever an artiste is unavailable. The volunteer-run model ensures that there is no admission fee for audiences and that the cultural programme remains accessible to the local population.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Organiser | Navyuvak Mandal Ramleela Committee |
| Venue | Ram Leela Maidan, Sodal Road |
| Community contribution | Costs for costumes, make-up and stage sets borne by organisers |
Local shopkeepers and office workers adjust operations around the event. According to the organisers, businesses in the immediate area slow down or close for the duration of the performances to allow residents and visitors to attend. The production is positioned not simply as entertainment but as a communal and religious observance, strengthening neighbourhood ties and maintaining a cultural practice that has persisted across generations.
Organisers said their priority is continuity and accessibility: by financing production expenses themselves, they aim to avoid commercialisation and keep the stage open to all. The model has preserved the tradition while relying on family legacies and the voluntary commitment of performers who balance employment with months of nightly rehearsals.
As Jalandhar’s Sodal Road stages its latest run, the Ram Leela remains a marker of civic identity for participants and audiences alike — a week when ordinary work pauses and the community collectively re-enacts age-old stories in a distinctly local setting, organisers reported.
