Artists give finishing touches to heads of Ravana, Kumbhkaran and Meghdoot on Bihar Co-operative Federation Society premises in Patna. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Oct. 4: The stage is almost ready. Ram is all set to vanquish the evil — Ravana — on Thursday. The “mentor” of Ravana and family — Ashok Kumar Sudhakar — is almost through with giving finishing touches to the structures of Ravana, his brother Kumbhkaran and son Meghdoot.

A fine arts passout from Banaras Hindu University, Sudhakar, has been preparing the structures in the city for the past 18 years. This year, he worked from the campus of Bihar Co-operative Federation Society near Patna Museum.

On the roster are the 65-foot-high Ravana, 60-foot-high Kumbhkaran and 55-foot-high Meghdoot. The heads of the three characters are complete after a month of work but labour is still on. Guests who would be present at Gandhi Maidan to watch Sudhakar’s work will include Governor Devanand Konwar, the chief guest on Dussehra, the day of Ravana Vadh.

The structures have been shifted to Gandhi Maidan. The only work that would be left for the final day would be to fit the crackers that will light up Ravana and company. Crackers worth Rs 60,000 have been brought from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.

“A lot of hard work and effort go in to complete the structures of the three characters. At present, I am working with six artists, who have been with me for many years now,” said Sudhakar.

He made the structure of Ravana and his family this year after a pause of two years during which they were prepared in Punjabi style. “I did not make the structures for the past two years. It was done in a Punjabi style and it seems like not many people liked what was on show. This year, we are working on a Bihari style and people will be able to see the faces of Ravana, Kumbhkaran and Meghdoot from all sides. We have also arranged for the lips to move to showcase Ravana’s typical monstrous smile,” added Sudhakar.

In the Punjabi style, the face of Ravana, Kumbhkaran and Meghdoot can be seen only from the front.

The first structure of Ravana that Sudhakar had made was at the age of six. Now 33, his first assignment at Gandhi Maidan was at the age of 15 years. The first time, he received Rs 60,000 for his work. Now, his work commands Rs 1 lakh.

“I was inspired from Jamal Mian, who was earlier responsible for making the structures for Dussehra. After his death, the Shri Dusshera Committee Trust, which has been organising Ravana Vadh for the past 57 years, contacted me,” said Sudhakar.

This year, Ravana’s home, Lanka, would also be more attractive than other years. While, earlier there were only four parts, this year there would be 22, including a fort. “The Lanka structure would be almost three storey-high and have a vaatika (garden) inside it,” said Sudhakar.

On the material that has gone into the preparation, Sudhakar said: “Eight kg of paint, 75kg of used papers and 210 bamboos were used to prepare the structures of Ravana, Kumbhkaran and Meghdoot. There is no need to worry about rain. Even if the city gets heavy rainfall on the day of Dusshera, the structures would stand and won’t suffer any damage.” Special care has also been taken to dress the characters for Dussehra. A fashion designer student from Annamalai University in Tamil Nadu, Santosh Kumar Mishra, is preparing the dresses of the three characters. He is giving special attention to the dress as it is one of the main attractions of Ravana Vadh. Ravana would wear purple, while Kumbhkaran and Meghdoot would sport red and green attire, respectively.