Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Divine destination recreated

— PHOTO: RAJU V.

WONDERFUL EFFORT: The ‘Bommala Koluvu’ arranged on the theme of ’Seven hills of Tirumala’ by Vijayasri of Vijayawada.

VIJAYAWADA: Every single feature of the ‘sopana margam’ is intact. The sharp bends one confronts while climbing up the double-lane ghat road to Tirumala Hills, a different road for return journey, the steps that start from the foot of the hills known as Alipiri and the shops, the stalls, the public, the moving vehicles…

The only disparity that tells apart this place from the original one is its miniature size and the fact that the structure forms the interior of a drawing hall at a house in Suryaraopet in the city.

Vijayasree Sistla, a housewife, chose to recreate the magic of the Tirumala temple in her drawing room as part of ‘Bommala Koluvu’ associated with Sankranthi festivities. “I have been doing it for the last 20 years but in the last four years, I conceptualised the whole exercise,” explains the woman who traces her exceptional creative skills to her school days when she learnt the art from her craft teacher.

The two scenarios – Tirumala ghat road leading to the temple atop the seven hills and Srinivasa Kalyanam -- got her wide appreciation. Overturning flowerpots to create a base for the ghat road, Ms. Vijayasree twisted and moulded winding wires to generate skeletal images of dolls for the ‘Kalyanam’ scene. Most of the dolls used are hand-made.

“I placed an order only for the Brahmotsava vahanams (chariots) from the Kondapalli toy-makers,” she says explaining: “A blend of green stainer with saw dust resulted in a lawn.” It took five days for her to lay the ghat road with the eight bags of soil brought in by her supportive spouse. A lot of research apparently went into the whole exercise. “Browsing images of the ‘vahana sevas’ in Google search engine and the TTD channels to grasp the original designs helped me a great deal,” the housewife said.

If the tiny lights along the ghat road made with thermocol attract instant attention, the bananas created with a mix of wheat flour and turmeric powder lend authenticity to the ‘kalyana’ ceremony.

Basking in the unforeseen attention her creative world has grabbed, Ms. Vijayasree feels sad at the thought of discarding it in a couple of days.

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