Workers busy making the effigy at the old stadium in Hazaribagh on Wednesday. Picture by Vishvendu Jaipuriar

Hazaribagh, Oct. 9: Ravan will get taller and the Dussehra festivities grander in Hazaribagh this year.

The old stadium near the government bus stand, which hosted Ravan Dahan for the first time in town last year, is gearing up for a longer and more attractive 70-minute programme on October 14. The demon king’s effigy will also rise to 46 feet. Last year, it was 40 feet.

Ravan Dahan Samiti, which got overwhelming response by hosting the celebrations for the first time in Hazaribagh town in 2012, is gearing up for a greater show. According to one the organisers, Bhaiya Abhimanyu Prasad, they have already obtained permission from the district administration and former external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha has been roped in to be the chief guest on the occasion.

The Hazaribagh MP will lit the demon king’s effigy, which is being made by a team of 12, led by Jai Narayan Bedia of Bhurkunda in Ramgarh.

Bedia and his men are busy working at one corner of the stadium. “Once the effigy gets ready, it will be difficult to move it to the spot where it will be made to stand for the show and then set on fire,” Bedia told The Telegraph.

The craftsman’s family has been making Ravan’s effigies for decades. “Once we are done, we leave the place immediately as our forefathers had instructed us never to see Ravan burning,” Bedia said, adding that they needed several items right from wood and bamboos to iron angles, straws, wires and clothes to make the statue.

Prasad said they would bring in a hydra crane from Ranchi to prop up and fix the effigy. “We will need 60 to 70 people for this work. Last year, more than 50,000 people had flocked to the stadium to watch Ravan Dahan. This time, we are making arrangements to accommodate a bigger crowd,” he added.

Till 2011, the Dussehra celebrations used to be held at Demotand, 10km from the town. However, the previous committee no longer exists and the new samiti brought the celebrations right to the heart of the town, much to the glee of local residents.