In a unique twist to traditional Dussehra celebrations, a 30-foot-tall cockroach effigy will be burnt this evening alongside those of Ravan, Kumbhkaran, and Meghnad at the Ramlila organised by the Shree Keshav Ram Leela Committee in Pitampura, Delhi.
The organisers claim the cockroach represents filth and dirt. The initiative supports the Swachh Bharat and Swachh Delhi campaigns and aims to highlight the need to eliminate uncleanliness from homes, neighbourhoods, and society.
The burning will reinforce the message of good triumphing over evil. The cockroach will also be depicted as one of the asuras in Ravan’s army.
The addition sparked widespread attention and debate on social media because it coincided with ongoing capital protests by a political group called the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). However, the committee’s president, BJP MLA Ashok Goel, denied any political motives, emphasising that the focus remains entirely on hygiene and public health.
In the past, the committee has used additional effigies to address other modern social evils, such as terrorism and Naxalism.
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, responded sarcastically to the plan on social media, thanking the organisers for the “free publicity”.
“Burning a cockroach effigy on Dussehra only shows how rattled the ruling party is. Itni importance de rahe hain aap log! Good to know we are making enough of an impact for you to see us as competition,” says CJP legal affairs head Ratna Singh.
“Clearly, we are doing something right. 🙂 Give your IT cell some time off as well. Thak gaye honge itni (faltu) mehnat karke!”