Rajasthan: Muslim family keeps alive its tradition of making Ravana's effigy

As the nation gears up to celebrate Vijayadashmi on Tuesday, a Muslim family is busy preparing one of the tallest effigies of Ravana in the city's Adarsh Nagar.Chand Babu, hailing from Mathura, said that his family has been engaged in this work for the five generations."We come from Mathura. Our family has been engaged in this work for the past five generations. We start making the effigy after Janmashtmi and is finished right before Dussehra," he said.He said that this year's effigy is better and grander than last year. "I have reworked on the crown of Ravana and have also added more colourful lights to it," he added.Babu informed that the total cost of making the effigy turns out to be roughly Rs 10 lakh with around 20 people working on it.Sharing his joy on making the effigies every year and his wish for communal harmony, Babu said: "I never feel out of place. I just want Hindus and Muslims to live together happily.