On a day of overcast skies, occasional drizzle and brilliant sunshine, the inner lanes of Charminar, Hari Bowli and Shah Ali Banda wore a carnival air on the final day of Bonalu. Chenda drummers from Kerala, lezhim artistes from Maharashtra, drummers with ankle bells from Guntur, flame throwers, groups of men dressed as Kali and a procession led by an elephant had everyone gawk at the spectacle.
T
he streets smelled of horse and elephant droppings, but that didn’t deter people from jostling and shoving to catch a glimpse of the various parts of the procession. If the earlier days of Bonalu saw women dressed in traditional finery, walking with turmeric smeared bare feet and carrying the bonum,on Monday, it was women, men and children who came to celebrate the festival without a care. Some of them came from Yakutpura, Gudimalkapur and other far flung areas of the city. “We came from Malakpet. There are a lot of traffic curbs and most of the lanes leading to this area are blocked. Finally, we parked near Khilwat and walked here,” said Pankaja, a housewife who came along with her children to watch the procession. Police had cordoned off many streets connecting Shah Ali Banda to Charminar and Patthergatti.
The street known as khowa gully was chock-a-block with people who stood on the pavements, shop fronts, terraces and balconies to follow the procession. If some folks stood beside the blue, green and yellow Kali avatar with fearsome faces, they were happy clicking selfies.
The rear of the procession was brought up by a huge image of Kali being transported on a trailer truck. Men and transgenders dressed as women danced with gay abandon as bunches of men struck up trance rhythm of teen maar.
Colourfully festooned with flowers and orchids in the day time, the colours of the temples changed as the evening wore on and the rice lights and coloured LED lights were switched on.
The procession led by the elephant had the mahout juggling with overhead wires as the man sitting on it threw prasad at passersby. At places where pedestals were set up, people threw flowers on the performers who were part of the procession. By the time, the procession reached Charminar it was dark but that didn’t deter the participants from showing off with renewed gusto.
The bunch of bare torsoed potharajus, with jingling bells tied to their ankles and thighs were a spectacle with their ceremonial whips dipped in turmeric. As they struck fearsome poses, young women and men paid them to touch them with the whips. Then the potharajus danced with the currency notes clutched with their teeth.
The procession ended at Naya Pul at 9 p.m. with the immersion of the ghatams.