HYDERABAD: Unorthodox times need unorthodox solutions. In order to beat the blues of Coronovirus, a couple in Anand Nagar, Khairatabad brought out their collection of Blue God Krishna this Srikrishna Janmashtami to spread some cheer and positivity.
B Suryanarayanamurthy, an educationist who runs a bunch of schools in Kukatpally, and his wife Padmavathi, a homemaker, used to set up the Bommala Koluvu during Sankranthi. However, this time around, with the festive season looking dull and with even Varalakshmi Vratam turning out to be a damp squib, they decided to line up the idols of their favourite God to turn up the feel-good factor.
There are about 600 dolls on display of which about 100 are of Lord Krishna alone. The others comprise Radha, Gopikas, Meerabai, Sudhama etc. “It took us three days just to bring out all the dolls, wipe them and arrange them for a display. I am sure it will take three more to keep them back as we need to keep it in a bulky ancestral enappette (box made of iron) with soft clothes to prevent cracks or stains,” shares Murthy. Padmavathi adds that the collection comprises of wooden, clay and Plaster of Paris dolls collected from across the country.
The collection spans over 50 years and from almost every pilgrim in the country. Her mom and mother-in-law have been among the major contributors of the dolls. “The collection began with Gopala Krishna doll, my favourite since I was a toddler. Knowing my devotion and love for Vamshi Krishna, friends and family often gifted me various dolls of Krishna. I decided to put them all up in my 25x12 verandah this year,” she says.
The duo says that they will have it on display on Wednesday too as most Vaishnavaites celebrate today and then they will wrap them up on Thursday. “Besides lamps, paadalu and naivedyam, we also have added the social media element this time. We are going to click photos and videos and share it with our friends on Facebook and WhatsApp. So much of beauty should be enjoyed by every one of His devotees,” says Padmavathi.