SHRIRAM KENDRA'S RAM LIGHTS UP NAVRATRI

Delhi's much-loved Navratri tradition is here again: the annual staging of Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra's celebrated classical dance-drama Ram.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

As the Diwali-Dussehra season begins and Sharadiya Navratri unfolds, Delhi's Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra (SBKK) has opened its doors for the annual staging of its renowned dance-drama RAM. The first performance began last evening at SBKK's Open Air Theatre and will run until October 14. The production condenses the epic Ramayana into a two-and-a-half-hour spectacle, tracing Lord Ram's journey from his divine birth in Ayodhya to his coronation as king.

The production draws on India's classical and folk traditions, including Kathakali, Kathak, Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Kalaripayattu, Mayurbhanj Chhau, and regional folk forms, combined into SBKK's distinctive style. Dance and music, rooted in Hindustani classical ragas and folk traditions, are carefully employed to enhance narrative clarity and emotional impact.