In many parts of India, particularly in the North, in the nine days before Dussehra (the Navratri festival) the story of Lord Ram is played out in the rustic folk play of Ram Leela. Held in large open fields, a huge stage with amateur actors puts up this huge prouction filled with lots of action and drama. On the very last day, as the sun goes down, the huge effigy of Ravana goes up in flames.

These days the Little Ones are in school but when they were younger, we used to make our own little Ravan and knock him down on Dussehra day. Over the nine days, the children would draw the Ten faces of Ravan and fix them over a body made with cardboard boxes. One Dussehra, I got the idea of making the Ravan heads with balloons instead. The Little Ones were thrilled with the idea and looked forward to popping their Ravan heads with pellets or with toothpick pricks.

They were excited when they saw the heads nodding away and waited eagerly for the day when they would ‘kill’ their Ravana.

Sadly, two nights before, there were ten loud pops that disturbed our sleep. What could it be, we wondered as we rushed to where the sound came from. Was it a trapped bat trying to find its way home?

And there we saw him: our little Ravan looking foolishly like a plain old box while the burst balloons flopped around him.

Happy Dussehra to all those celebrating.

Ciao