Devotees at the Hanuman temple in Bhalubasa. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, March 27: A group of individuals got together under the banner of Shivlal Akhara six months ago to discuss everything related to the Ram Navami celebrations.

Today, they are in the last stage of finalising details for the show.

With the number of akharas in the city touching 150, both registered and non-registered groups have a lot to look after during the Ram Navami celebrations.

Sonari alone has a strength of 26 akharas while another prime location is Bhalubasa.

The only difference between registered and non-registered akharas is that the former are permitted to take out processions on the road while the latter have to merge with the former and cannot take out independent processions.

The mode of celebration is also different for each akhara.

B. Singh Janghel, the proprietor of Lallan Akhara in Sonari, said: “This group has always done things differently.

Last year, a group from Kerala was invited to perform here while Chhau dancers from the nearby land of Seraikela come down to make the colourful procession more interesting.”

The elder members of Jumbo Akhara, situated in Bhalubasa, recall how in the initial days, the members got very little money for the celebrations.

“It was difficult to get money from people but today, people come and give money to be used during the festival,” said Kamal Kishore Singh, alias Jumbo.

With a lot of glamour gradually entering the celebration, a lot of youngsters have become involved in the process. They are trying to make the entire event a lot more competitive, feel veterans.

Ram Navami celebrations have become a show of glamour with one akhara trying to outdo another by roping in experts from outside or even engaging the services of city-based amateurs.

With different groups trying to outdo each other, the akharas are judged on the basis of their performance and originality of the games they organise.

Committee members double up as judges for the event with members of the district administration being invited as special guests for the grand show.

A lot of police “bara babus” and ministers are also invited and their presence adds to the glamour quotient.

Asked if it becomes too much of an effort to work during the celebrations, members say they enjoy the hard work. “We actually look forward to it each year,” said a young member of Shivlal Akhara.

Not all are happy though. “It has gradually become too much of a show-off,” said Kamal Kishore Singh, proprietor of Jumbo Akhara whose grand procession during the Ram Navami celebrations led the way when the history of processions had just begun.