CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: New Delhi. In Delhi’s Pitampura, a 30-foot-tall cockroach effigy will also be burned this Dussehra along with the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad. The unusual initiative by the Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee is aimed at making people aware of cleanliness and hygiene. The effigy is being shaped like a cockroach and will also be fitted with fireworks. According to the organisers, it will send a message about keeping homes, neighbourhoods and public places free of filth.
Cockroach chosen as a symbol of filth: According to Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee president and BJP MLA Ashok Goel Devra, the cockroach effigy symbolises the filth and unhygienic conditions present in society. Through this initiative, the committee wants to take forward the message of the Swachh Bharat and Swachh Delhi campaigns. The organisers said Ravana Dahan on Dussehra symbolises the victory of good over evil. Continuing this tradition, every year a contemporary social issue is also presented symbolically. This time, filth has been chosen as the evil that needs collective efforts to eliminate.
Artisan family making effigies for generations: Work on the giant cockroach effigy is under way in Pitampura. Artisans are working to give its body and outer structure the appearance of a real cockroach. It is estimated that the effigy will take two to three days to complete. The family of the artisan making the effigy has been associated with this work for several generations. The family has previously made Ravana and other effigies for various Ramlilas in Delhi. However, making a giant effigy resembling a cockroach is a different kind of challenge for them.
Effigies on social evils have been made earlier too: The committee has been organising the Ramlila for nearly 15 years. According to the organisers, effigies symbolically depicting problems such as terrorism and Naxalism have also been burned in previous years. This time, the new experiment is being carried out with cleanliness at the centre. Discussion around the effigy has also grown amid protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). However, the committee president has clarified that the purpose of making the effigy is to spread the message of cleanliness, not to target any political organisation.
Behavioural change necessary for cleanliness: The burning of the effigy may draw public attention, but real cleanliness is possible only through regular cleaning, proper disposal of waste and responsibility towards public places. The organisers hope this initiative will inspire people to keep their homes and surrounding environment clean.
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