The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A trunk call from tradition

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 13, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

A trunk call from tradition

Swathi Shivanand

BANGALORE: In a culture that prides itself on having three crore gods, there is one endearing, pot-bellied, food-loving deity whose birthday is round the corner. Any locality worth its “kadubu” will have a sizeable Ganesha idol. This apart, millions of idols are worshipped in Hindu households on Vinayaka Chaturthi which is on September 15.

What was once a household affair, was transformed into a galvanizing force by Bal Ganbgadhar Tilak during the freedom movement. “It became popular here because parts of Karnataka were then with the Bombay State. Bal Gangadhar Tilak had ardent followers in Alur Venkat Rao and Gangadhararao Deshpande, who popularised it here in Karnataka,” says historian Suryanath U. Kamath. From the time it became a mass celebration, the festival became platform for expression of current trends and concerns.

“The idols used to be dressed up as Gandhi or Tilak. There was even a rangoli depicting the Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova at a pandal. Now of course, people celebrate the festival playing catchy film numbers,” says Dr. Kamath. With environment a raging issue, government agencies and other organizations have been trying to bring in the eco-friendly flavour to the festival. While the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike are engaged in reducing the pollution that idol immersions cause, there are other efforts to reduce the toxicity of the idols itself.

“We are trying to promote clay models or ones painted in vegetable dyes. It is still a nascent initiative but we have been encouraged by positive responses received from artists’ and artists’ groups,” says Vimala Rangachar, chairperson of the Crafts Coucil of Karnataka. Like other dying crafts, idol-making has become unprofitable and the youth are not keen on learning it, leaving older artisans with the burden of preserving tradition.

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