Dasara, one of the most colourful festivals, stirs the fount of my nostalgia bringing back the exhilarating memories of my childhood. We, the children, would look forward to the festival, not for the celebration of festivities or for special festive dishes made at home, but for the Dasara veshalu (Dasara fancy dresses) displayed so beautifully by the bands of street artistes during the nine-day celebrations.
These street artistes who were hardly noticed on any festival days would make their colourful presence on Dasara festival days only. Attired in fascinating, shining apparel and adorned with all artistic paraphernalia, the troupe would appear on roads and in streets, flaunting their amazing artistic skills.
Among these artistes moving about in our street, we were delighted to spot Gods and Goddesses like Sri Rama, Lakshman and Sita accompanied by Hanuman—all clad in flashy, colourful dresses with painted faces, garlands of beads and plastic flowers around their necks and glittering crowns on their heads. Hanuman with his red-colored snout and long tail leaping up and down with a club in his hand would capture our little hearts. We would be immensely delighted, watching the pranks played by Hanuman.
We would keep giggling, screaming and clapping our hands in boundless joy. But what frightened us most in this troupe of street artistes was the Goddess Durga, who looked so terrible with big, red eyes and blood-red tongue dangling out of her wide-open mouth. She was brandishing a trident in her hand and laughing loudly all the way.
Though scared of her appearance and roaring laughs, we never hated her, but loved to watch her as she was the presiding deity of Dasara whom we worshiped in her various incarnations with utmost devotion during the festival days. People would offer money generously to these street-artistes as a token of appreciation for their wonderful talents.
The celebration would culminate on the night of the ninth day in a humongous procession of a variety of Dasara veshalu of many Gods and Goddesses accompanied by music of drums and ecstatic dances by folk artistes, leaving the people at the height of festive bliss. Alas, nowadays, during Dasara, these street artistes are nowhere to be spotted, not even in our villages. The folk art of those street artistes which we relished and cherished as children during the Dasara festival is something quite alien to the present day kids who are accustomed to seeking their joy from modern gadgets.
Dr Venugopala Rao Kaki
Email: kakivenugopalarao@gmail.com