The Ravana Makers: Part I

A couple of months before the autumn winds start blowing and the festive season begins, the pavements (sidewalks) around the residential area I stay in witness a flurry of activity. Truckloads of bamboo poles are layed out and a dozen or more people start working on them, slicing them into halves, and then further. And thereby hangs a fascinating tale…..

Come with me as I show you a glimpse into this cottage industry of creativity that I have witnessed for the last many years. It is a tradition that is passed on from one generation to another, from father to son. It is the art of making Ravana effigies.

First the bamboo is spliced into thin strips. The strips are then tied together to form frames shaped according to the different parts of an effigy. So you have separate bits for the face, the upper torso, the lower torso and the limbs. And, yes, the crown…. Ravana was a king after all, remember!

Bamboo frames of the torso lying on the pavement

The bamboo frames are then given a cloth base, with yards of fabric tightly stretched and wrapped around them. This forms the ground for the paper mache work that follows.

The frames covered with colorful cloth stretched across

This is how the cloth-covered frames look from the inside

Large squares of thin brown paper is slathered with glue and pasted on the frames. The process is very similar to decoupage.

Applying glue on brown sheets of paper and pasting them on to the frames

Part I of this remarkable tale ends here as I bring you reports and pictures live from outside the colony gates. Part II of of the Ravana making process shall reach you soon… stay tuned.