HYDERABAD: Call it the festival of respecting women’s power, festival of celebrating the victory of Rama over Ravana or just a community gathering, Dussehra is celebrated in different ways by people from various communities.
One among them is the Bommala Koluvu (toy festival), an age old tradition observed in South India where a number of idols or toys are showcased in an array of steps. The tradition is meant to involve girls in the house in order to encourage creativity and organization skills in them. As people visit their friends and family during festivals, the children get an opportunity to socialize with different people as well. Over the years, the rituals attached to each festival have changed to make them less complicated.
But this tradition has stood the test of time and is still observed with great enthusiasm in many homes.
The toy festival requires a lot of effort and patience, but for people in the city, it is an exciting time. For S Padma, a homemaker who has bought a setup representing Rama and Sita’s return from vanvas this year, the shopping for dolls began well in advance “I always buy statues of Rama and Sita. I make a three-step arrangement where I dedicate the first step to the idols of Rama and Sita and other gods which I feel will go with the theme. On the second step, I arrange nine Devi and nine Vishnu avatars. Third step show people dancing and rejoicing upon the return of Rama. Apart from that we use other elements for decoration which consist of candles, diyas and paper lanterns,” shares Padma.
The day ends with puja and giving tambulam to women who visit her house. While Padma visits Lepakshi to get the best dolls, Pragada Mahalakshmi makes her own dolls with help from her friends.
An avid follower of the tradition, the themes she chooses for the doll festival are very unique so much so, that finding dolls that go with the theme becomes quite a task. This year, she has chosen Ganesh Nimarjan at Tank Bund as her theme. “My setup contains Ganesh idols, cranes, Tank Bund, Telugu Talli circle. I have made them using clay. Apart from that, I make a nine-stepped arrangement where I display the dolls which I used in the previous years.” Mahalakshmi has been making dolls on themes like Tirumala Brahmotsavam, Mysore Dussera celebrations and cricket previously.
While Mahalakshmi chooses a different theme each year, Shobhana Ganesh, a home maker is among those who don’t mind adding idols of god to the setup.
“I focus on representing mixed cultures of India. Apart from gods, my nine-stepped setup also contains idols of farmers, Dasavatharam, Meenakshi Kalyanam.” As arranging the dolls takes a lot of time, Shobhana takes help from her mother-in-law and her kids for decoration.
Production
The dolls for the Bommala Koluvu are usually made in Kondapalli in Krishna, Nirmal in Adilabad and Etikoppaka village in Visakhapatnam district.
“All the dolls are made of wood. The most liked of all the exhibits during this season is Dasavatharam and bullock cart. The price range of the exhibits range from `59 to `3,500. We have invested `4 to 5 lakh to buy the dolls this year,” says the manager, Lepakshi handicrafts emporium. Apart from bullock cart and Dasavatharam, the other dolls at the exhibition contain huts, village setup, farm setup, marriage setup, etc.
To add to the collection, a few clay dolls have also been brought from West Bengal.