Ratia, October 21 (Advocate Gurpreet Singh Mander):- The Dussehra festival organised by Shakti Natak Club at the city's Senior Secondary Boys School was celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion. The Ravana effigy, symbolising the victory of good over evil, was burned with religious fervour. Thousands of spectators witnessed the event on the school premises.
Earlier, tableaux depicting Lord Shri Ram and Ravana's army were taken out from the Ramleela Ground as part of the Dussehra celebrations. Social worker Vicky Mehta, son of former Punjabi Sabha president Dr. G.D. Mehta, flagged off the procession. The programme was presided over by Punjabi Sabha president Satish Handa.
Those present on the occasion included Aggarwal Sabha president Pramod Bansal, Numberdar Association president Gyan Chand Chopra, convener Dr. Hansraj, Vigyan Sagar Baghla, Harbans Khanna, Krishna Taneja, Raghunath Temple Committee president Subhash Chugh, Sham Anand, Kali Mata Temple Committee president Shyam Lal Bansal, former Arodvansh Sabha president Ashok Grover, Panch Nath Memorial Trust president Rohit Chugh, Sonu Grover, Suresh Mehta, Vinny Wadhwa, Dev Kakkar, Jitender, Satish Mehta, Dinesh Taneja, Satish Chopra, Shyam Mehta, Manish Ghai, Sanjay Chugh and other prominent personalities.
The tableaux taken out by Shakti Natak Club featured Lord Shiva, Kali Mata, the skeletal army of Aghoris and Lord Hanuman, presented by Sagar Art. These performances thrilled the residents of the city. The tableaux of Lord Shiva and Kali Mata presented by the art group captivated the audience.
The Dussehra procession started from the Ramleela Ground and passed through Shakti Nagar, Punjabi Dharamshala, Tohana Road, Bhagat Singh Chowk, Fatehabad Road, Sanjay Gandhi Chowk and Budhlada Road before proceeding through the city's Main Market and returning to the Ramleela Ground. There, a fierce battle was staged between the armies of Lord Shri Ram and Ravana.
