This MP village bears Ravan’s name, chants his chalisa

VIDHISHA: Every day, in a village 80km from Bhopal, the lines ‘Jai Lankesh gyan gun sagar, Asur raj sab lok ujagar’ reverberate across homes and fields. Unlike rest of the country, people here recite ‘ Ravan Chalisa’, perform aartis of Ravan as god, not demon. On Thursday, when effigies of Ravan will be burnt to celebrate Dussehra , this village, called Rawan, will host a grand feast and puja of Ravan, whom its people consider ‘gram devta’. While elders recite ‘Ravan Chalisa’, composed by locals and displayed on a temple wall which has a 12-foot reclining statue of Ravan, the young move around on tractors and motorcycles with ‘Jai Lankesh’ stickers on the vehicles and tattoos on their arms. The village is home to 372 families, mostly Kanyakubj Brahmins. Located in Nateran tehsi