In this town, it was Dussehra on Diwali day

JHANSI: When the entire country was celebrating Diwali on Sunday, people of Rath, a small tehsil of Hamirpur district in Bundekhand, celebrated Dussehra by burning the effigy of demon king Ravana.
It is a custom started out of compulsion about a century ago and now has become a tradition.
On Sunday, a 20-foot effigy of Ravana was burnt at the Ram Lila ground and was witnessed by thousands of spectators.To cut the cost, a permanent iron structure has been erected depicting Ravana which is covered every year with paper, cloth and crackers and is later set on fire.
As per old residents, around a century ago the tehsil which was just a small hamlet had only one place for celebrating Dussehra. The place used to get filled up with rain water which would recede only after Dussehra was over.
So, their Navaratri celebration would start after Dussehra and culminate around Diwali celebrations. The tradition since then continues.
"I have been seeing this tradition since my childhood. Our forefathers had started it because at that time there was no other place except this to celebrate the festival. And because of being a low land this place used to be waterlogged because of rain water. Once it would recede, people would celebrate the festival," said Ramakant Pandey, a local resident.
Today the same place has been converted into a huge ground where thousands of people visit for the ten-day celebration. During these days, there was Ram Lila, circus, fair and other cultural events which included Kavi Sammelan, folk dances, and jawabi kirtan.
Thousands of people arrive from nearby villages to attend the fair.
"Apart from its religious significance, the fair is also visited by womenfolk for buying their household needs," says Basant Nagaich of the Ramlila Committee.