Balkaransingh awakens spirit of Ramleela in book on Felicity festival

For over a century, the folk theatre of Ramleela, which translates to “the play of Ram,” has been performed in TT, mainly in the town of Felicity. With the use of elaborate costuming and props, breath-taking decor and lighting, narration, acting and singing, the re-enactment of the Ramayana tells the story of the life of king and hero warrior, Ram – from the day he was born and encapsulating all the significant events in his life, including his rescue of Sita and his triumphant return from exile to rule his beloved Ayodhya in northern India.

In his book, Ramleela in Trinidad: 100 Years of the Felicity Open-air Folk Theatre Tradition, classical dancer, choreographer, arts director and musician Dr Satnarine Balkaransingh takes a comprehensive and well-researched look at the festival and its evolution over the years.

“While the text has not changed, there have been changes in the social criteria and guidelines used for the selection of performers. Changes have been effected in the costuming, funding of the production, the performance timings, use of technology, female involvement and management of the performance,” Dr Balkaransingh observes.

Culling information from various sources including books, websites, academic institutions, historians, scholarly journals, published and unpublished research papers, interviews with people involved in the production, and his own ethnographic research, Balkaransingh explores the effusiveness and variants of the story.

“In Sanskrit alone there are at least five versions…In addition to the above five major versions in the Sanskrit language, there are at least 25 major recorded versions of the Ram story across India alone, in 11 separate regional Indian languages,” he writes.

Before he delves into the popular Felicity Ramleela celebrations and its vibrant history, Balkaransingh puts the story into context by examining enactments of Ramleela in Asia and the Indian diaspora, South America and the Caribbean, noting the role migration played in taking the observation of the tradition into Europe and the US.

As a performing artiste himself, Balkaransingh is quite familiar with the time and effort that goes into a production of this nature, and easily expounds on the numerous elements of the production – from the selection of text, script and language of the narrative; to casting; music; costuming; effigies; the selection, preparation and consecration of the performance space and everything else that go into the show. He then gives a detailed day-by-day description of how the story unfolds with accompanying photos.

“The Leela or story is enacted on an epic scale in 11 consecutive days. It begins with the birth of Ram, the hero of the epic, moving through the various phases of his life; his youth, marriage, banishment, his travails during the years of exile, the defeat of Raja Rawan of Lanka, and his return to Ayodhya and coronation as king. In some earlier years, attempts were made to extend the production to 12 days…This episode, however, has not survived in the current production and the Leela has returned to its 11-day presentation format,” Balkaransingh explains.

In true academic style, each chapter culminates with end notes, and at the back of the publication the reader can find an exhaustive glossary, a bibliography, appendices and an index. But although Balkaransingh’s writing style can be considered very pedagogical, he was able to successfully awaken the spirit of the Leela with his tactile and illustrative language, as well as his penchant for stimulating details.

Ramleela in Trinidad: 100 Years of the Felicity Open-air Folk Theatre Tradition is ideal for anyone wanting to learn about the genesis and evolution of Ramleela in TT and it is available at leading bookstores.