God Ram’s long and arduous victory over Ravan, the mythological king demon of Sri Lanka who kidnapped his wife, Sita, is at the core of the 10-day Hindu festival of Dussehra. Predictably, the religious undertones of the victory of good over evil are the perfect excuse to indulge in the mundane joy of ferris wheels and mobile cinemas, magic shows and carnival games. The climax falls on the festival’s last day, when the giant papier-mâché effigies of a ten-headed Ravan and his accomplices, stuffed with straw and fire-crackers, are set on fire in front of crowds of thousands of onlookers.

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