How a Small Town in UP Is Bridging Cultures Through Ramleela https://thewire.in/culture/how-a-small-town-in-up-is-bridging-cultures-through-ramleela
For the past 51 years, the Ramleela in Bakshi Ka Talab has been breaking religious barriers, with Muslim artists playing the role of Lord Rama, Laxman, Sita, Janak, Dasharath, and many others...
For the past 51 years, the Ramleela in Bakshi Ka Talab has been breaking religious barriers, with Khan playing the role of Lord Rama. This tradition was started in 1972 by the then gram pradhan, Maikulal Yadav, and his friend, Muzaffar Hussain. In this Ramleela, Muslims perform various roles such as Lord Rama, Laxman, Sita, Janak, Dasharath, and many others. Just as Khan portrays the character of Lord Ram, Suhail Khan takes on the role of Laxman, while Farhan Ali portrays Sita. Bharat is played by Suhel Khan, and Sher Khan embodies the character of Janak. Even the role of young Ram is portrayed by Abdul Hasan. ..
Videsh Pal Yadav, son of Maikulal Yadav, who was the founder member of Ramleela organising committee, shares an interesting anecdote. “Once, Ramzaan (the holy month of fasting for Muslims) and Navratra (a Hindu festival) had coincided. We were worried about how we would manage Ramleela because most of our Muslim artists would be observing Roza (fasting),” he recounts.
He said that none of them allowed their fasting to disrupt the smooth flow of the rehearsals.
He added, “On the final day, they [the artists] broke their fast (Iftaar) on the stage itself, just before starting the programme to ensure that there was no interruption in the performance.”