Effigies of Ravana placed on the roadside
As the nine-day long gala affair of Navratri draws to a close, it is the climax that one waits for anxiously. Burning the effigy of Ravana which, for ages, has come to symbolize the victory of good over evil culminates the festival of Dussehra.
In west Delhi, artisans look forward to this time of the year which offers them an opportunity to earn more than their usual wages.
"It takes us an entire night to complete a single effigy, in normal days we earn Rs 200 per day but effigy-making helps us to earn Rs 300 per day," said Rohit, a flower seller.
Ironically, while Ravana may be associated with everything evil and bad, he is in fact a blessing in disguise for these effigy-makers. Almost 5-feet tall, colorful, each bearing a different expression, Ravana's heads make a beeline alongside the pavement.
While the ten heads of Ravana symbolize the tendencies of our mind, for effigy-makers like Rohit, they are like a ray of hope promising more than the usual earnings in this festive season.