Ravana effigies going up in flames in spectacular display and the visual treat of Ramlila may be a routine affair for Indians, but for many foreigners who attended the Dussehra celebrations in Delhi, it was one of the unforgettable moments of “experiencing India”.
23-year Felipe Patterson, a student at the University of Buenos Aires, who attended the festivities last evening at the grand Lav Kush Ramlila function, said, “The experience left me literally bedazzled.”
“It is my first visit to Delhi and I had no idea about this festival (Navratra) and I just randomly walked into the celebrations. The crowd was overwhelming but it was all part of experiencing India.
“The festival gave me an eye to see India’s multi-cultural society, the religious and the spiritual side of it. And, if I have to some up the experience in one word, it would be ‘increible’ (Spanish for incredible),” he said.
Portugal national Henrique Veranda, an avid photographer, who just finished school and wishes to pursue cinema for undergraduate studies, tried to capture the Dusshera celebrations on his camera in colour and in black and white.
“The festival is full of colour from the stagecraft to the effigies and hawkers selling food items. But, I am trying to mostly capture the celebrations in monochrome. As Satyajit Ray, one of the master filmmakers from India, did in his films. Black and white frames capture the essence of life,” he told PTI.
