BENGALURU: While traditional dolls of gods and the Mysore Dasara procession remain staples in every home that celebrates Gombe Habba, Bengalureans are looking for something more – unique dolls and models to make their Golu stand out from the rest.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of crowds doing last-minute Dasara shopping, RN Arun, owner of Varna, a doll store in Malleswaram says, “People come looking specifically for unique models. Last year, it was the Chandrayaan-3 and the new Parliament building. This year, people have asked for Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir the most. I’ve even sourced superhero dolls because the kids love them.”
With all this interest in off-beat dolls and models, Bengalureans are putting a creative twist to tradition. Here are some glimpses:
Multicultural Golu
The story goes: 400 years ago, a Mysuru Maharaja realised he did not have enough troops to secure a victory. Thinking quickly, the maharani made rows of clay dolls which came alive to aid him in battle. According to Sreedevi Venkatesh, a resident of Malleswaram, this is the origin of Gombe Habba and the reason why her family adds new dolls each year to their 5,000-strong collection.
This year, her display is a confluence of cultures with half the room showcasing traditional dolls and the other half featuring dolls collected from her travels. A 200-year-old set of heirloom Pattada Gombe (royal/ceremonial) features prominently, surrounded by scenes from Indian epics.
Porcelain dolls of the Japanese royal court traditionally displayed at ‘Hinamatsuri’, a festival celebrating the life and health of daughters, immediately draw attention. Placed beside are a wooden carving of Garuda and Vishnu from Bali, dolls of Kumari Devi from Nepal and even a statue of Buddha from Cambodia.
Turning Reel Into Reality
Prithvi Prabhu, a 24-year-old artist is using the occasion to pay tribute to Kannada actor Dr Rajkumar, recreating iconic scenes from the celebrated actor’s films such as Kaviratna Kalidasa, Bhakta Prahlada, and Bangarada Manushya. Prabhu has tried to make the models as movie-accurate as possible.
“I use air-dry clay to make facial expressions on Ken dolls. The joints of those dolls don’t move so we had to break them and reattach them to recreate the exact poses. The costumes are handmade to match the exact look from the famous song or scene that it’s inspired from,” he explains. The dolls have been displayed alongside 12 figures of vintage Kannada film heroines which Prabhu created using modified Barbie dolls last year.
Mini Marketplace
A marketplace made out of miniature figures adorns the home of 68-year-old artist, Hema Rajaram. It showcases a temple surrounded by models of a bakery, pet store, automobile shop, organic store, among others. The tiny items in these shops, right down to the mustard seeds on the restaurant’s chutney, are all made by her.
Between eight inches and 1/10th of a millimetre in size, each element has been made using air-dry clay and waste materials like scraps of fabric, styrofoam, toothpicks, bulbs and thermocol. Rajaram started making dolls and models as an 8-year-old child for her family’s Golu. 60 years later, she has spent hours each day on her intricate craft and has no plans of stopping. “I spent 12 to 14 hours every day making these dolls. I hope that children who come to see my display will become curious and want to make their dolls, “ she says.