BENGALURU : Dasara celebrations are incomplete without a visit to homes of people who have set up a gombe (doll) collection. While many families have opted out of this ritual this year, the teachers and students of Bachpan Play School, RT Nagar, decided to keep the tradition alive in their own way. Haripriya Yeshvanth, director of the playschool, says the teachers, students and their parents came together to recreate miniature doll versions of the Mysuru Dasara Jumbo savari and the famous KR Market.
Besides being a fun activity, it proved to be educational too. “We used to take the students for field trips to show them where vegetables and fruits or clothes are sold, but this year we had to skip that. So by making dolls of the vendors at city market, we wanted to give children an idea of what one of the oldest markets in the city looks like,” says Yeshvanth.
One look at the dolls and it’s clear that Yeshvanth has not compromised on any details. For example, the coconuts used in one of the miniature stores are made out of brown clay and coconut husk, and the flowers are made out of coloured paper. “We also wanted to bring in an integration of different religions. So, in the KR Market we recreated, you will find Saifullah coconut mandi, Sri Venkateshwara Oil and also an Eden fresh fruits stall,” explains Yeshvanth.
The school’s students too express their excitement with the activity. Five-and-half-year-old Tina Suthar, who studies in UKG, says, “The doll KR market looked so beautiful and colourful. So I have asked my mama to make a similar one for our home too.”