NEW DELHI: Delhi’s Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee will burn a 30-foot-tall cockroach effigy alongside those of Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Meghnad during Dussehra celebrations in the national capital this year, with the insect designated to symbolise “filth and unhygienic” conditions.
Ashok Goel Devaraha, president of the Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee and Model Town MLA, stated that the decision was taken to highlight the “need to eliminate filth” from homes, neighbourhoods, and society at large.
Speaking to news agency ANI on Thursday, Devaraha said, “The festival of Vijayadashami is celebrated with great enthusiasm across the entire country. It symbolises the triumph of truth over falsehood, good over evil, and righteousness (dharma) over unrighteousness (adharma). For thousands of years, we have been burning the effigies of Ravana, Meghnada, and Kumbhakarna; this conveys the message that, in the end, truth always prevails.” Explaining the committee’s decision to introduce another effigy, he noted that the practice of burning an additional figure to represent pressing national issues had been followed in previous years as well. “Keeping these principles in mind, we have also, in the past, burned effigies representing various afflictions plaguing our nation, such as Naxalism or terrorism. This year, our committee has decided to burn an effigy of a cockroach, a symbol of filth, at the Keshav Ramlila Committee grounds (NSP). Our goal is to eliminate filth from three areas: our homes, our immediate surroundings, and society at large,” he explained.
He added that the effigy would be set alight at the committee’s grounds in Pitampura. “That is why, this year, the Keshav Ramlila Committee in Pitampura will be burning an effigy in the shape of a cockroach, representing filth,” Devaraha said, describing it as a 30-foot-tall figure that would present a striking sight.
When questioned about choosing a cockroach to represent the issue, Devaraha reiterated that the primary objective was drawing public attention toward freeing society and local surroundings from dirt and filth.
The committee’s announcement comes amid ongoing demonstrations by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in the national capital. The group, which previously organized agitations against former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in June and July, is currently demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the electoral rolls revision process.
Meanwhile, CJP activist Abhijeet Dipke proposed a “Lehra Do Tiranga” rally for Friday. Security forces have been heavily deployed in and around Connaught Place to maintain law and order ahead of the planned demonstration at Central Park.
For more details: Navamalayalam.com