Hazaribag Ram Navami: Youth Lead Drug-Free, Disciplined Festival Campaign

Hazaribag: This year’s Ram Navami celebrations in Hazaribag are going beyond religious fervour, emerging as a platform for social awareness with youth-led initiatives promoting a drug-free and disciplined observance of the festival.With the city immersed in devotional chants and processions, social organisation Tarang Group has launched a campaign advocating “nasha-mukt Ram Navami”. Since March 19, the group has been staging street plays across neighbourhoods, drawing crowds and delivering strong messages on sobriety, public decorum and communal harmony.Through impactful performances and slogans, the artists urge revellers to uphold the sanctity of the festival. A recurring refrain in their act—“Dekho ae deewano, tum ye kaam na karo, Ram ka naam badnaam na karo”—appeals to people to stay away from intoxicants and maintain the dignity associated with the occasion.Amit Kumar Gupta, director of the group, told TOI that the campaign aims to reinforce that Ram Navami symbolises discipline, respect and moral values.