Almora. The fifth day of the grand Ramlila festival organized by Shri Bhuvneshwar Mahadev Mandir and Ramlila Samiti, Karnatak Khola, Almora, was staged on Tuesday with great devotion and intensity. The evening’s presentation included episodes such as Ram’s exile, Sumant’s grief, Kevat scene, Sita’s forest life, Shravan Bhakti, King Dashrath’s demise, and Bharat Milap. The soulful performances brought tears to the eyes of the audience and left them deeply moved.
Rashmi Kandpal as Lord Ram, Komal Joshi as Lakshman, Vaishnavi Pawar as Sita, senior theater artist Deepak Pandey as Sumant, Vaishnavi Joshi as Bharat, Nisha Kandpal as Shatrughan, Chiranjivi Lal Verma as King Dashrath, and Ashok Bankoti as Nishadraj received immense appreciation for their convincing portrayals. The Kevat episode presented by Santosh Joshi, Kamal Joshi, Anil Joshi, Himanshi Adhikari, and Amar Bora was especially praised by the audience.
The audience was particularly touched by the heart-rending lament of Sumant, the moving cries of Shravan Kumar (played by Rahul Joshi), and the emotional dialogues of young Dashrath (Akhilesh Singh Thapa). These performances brought the viewers to tears, who responded with thunderous applause to encourage the artists.
The event was inaugurated by the newly elected women councilors—Asha Bisht (Narmadeshwar ward), Anju Bisht (Dubkiya ward), and Meera Mishra (Dhoonimandir ward)—by lighting the ceremonial lamp. In their addresses, the guests praised the efforts of the Ramlila Committee and highlighted that women have successfully broken old stereotypes by stepping onto the stage with confidence and impactful performances. They emphasized that the committee has been playing a vital role in preserving and spreading cultural traditions.
Special appreciation was given to Bittu Karnatak, the patron and coordinator of the committee, for his leadership and dedication in making the Ramlila festival a success.
The event was attended by several notable community members including Rahul Rajeev Sah, Pramod Pandey, Anand Singh Nyal, Yogesh Joshi, Deepak Karnatak, Manish Joshi, Hem Pandey, Bishal Bora, Dinesh Chandra Tiwari, Brijesh Pandey, Gokulanand Joshi, Rajneesh Karnatak, Bhuvan Chandra Karnatak, Leeladhar Kandpal, Dayakrishna Joshi, Tanoj Karnatak, Abhishek Tiwari, Jagdish Chandra Tiwari, Badri Prasad Karnatak, Ramesh Chandra Joshi, Ravi Pandey, Kapil Malhotra, Dinesh Mathpal, Ashu Rautela, Kapil Nyal, Bhuvan Pandey, Devendra Goswami, Prakash Mehta, Himani Kapkoti, Divya Joshi, Chandraprabha Karnatak, Dr. Vidya Karnatak, Rashmi Karnatak, Rekha Joshi, Mamta Karnatak, Dolly Karnatak, Geeta Tiwari, Beena Karnatak, and Seema Karnatak along with hundreds of spectators.
The evening’s program was smoothly anchored by Bhavna Malhotra.
