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Kolu splendour
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`Bommala kolu' keeps people in touch with mythological lore and with each other
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NAVARATRI symbolises different things in different regions besides the worship of the mother goddess - Bomma kolu in Tamil Nadu, Ram Lila in the north, Garba and dandiya in Gujarat. In the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh the Bathakamma ritual - the worship of the goddess is rooted in folk traditions. What is perhaps heartening is despite urbanisation and modernisation the traditions continue, festivals still find favour with cross-cultural trends gaining ground (an example is dandiya becoming popular in the South). The bomma kolu, an inherent aspect of celebrations of Tamil Nadu, are very much celebrated by the Tamilians living outside the State. Each year the celebrations go on with great gusto.
Elaborate arrangements are made in most households for kolu. The traditional format includes keeping dolls, icons and other colourful objects in a tiered format (steps usually in odd numbers). But over the years the arrangements have transformed into thematic ones. Hyderabad may not match up to Chennai in this regard (there are competitions in Chennai for this) but people make the effort to keep the tradition alive even today.
Each household (mostly women are involved) conceptualises kolu differently. Some women take great pains in creating different figures using a wide variety of materials, while others work on themes - mostly from Puranic and mythological lore.
Year after year Mrs Ramachandran has been recreating different episodes from mythology to give that distinct touch of newness. This year the theme revolves around Ambal (Devi - made with kalasham, coconut and others). She may be Akhilandeshwari, Rajarajeshwari, Meenakshi or Abhirami - a story of each manifestation is retold and recreated. "These eco-friendly Gowri bommas are detachable and were made in Bangalore decades ago," says Mrs Ramachandran who uses these also to tell wonderful tales of Thyagaraja, Meera, Seeta Kalyanam, the Kanakadhara stotram episode of Adi Sankara to name a few. Such thematic arrangements keep us in touch with mythology in times where such stories are often relegated to the background. "I have often thought of doing other themes like Shakespeare but somehow mythology takes precedence," says Mrs Ramachandran who in fact does not plan anything in advance. Over the years she has been collecting things for embellishing the dolls besides other items.
Figures of gods predominate in most kolus. Some enterprising women make these figures at home. At times they embellish readymade figures. Kamala Rangarajan converts basic figures in red sanders wood made in Tirupati and other places) figures into gods and goddesses in various ways and also fashions some on her own with ceramic like sculpting compound available in the U.S. of A.
Kolus are great occasions to socialise. In today's lifestyle when time is scarce and meetings are infrequent, kolus not just keep ancient traditions alive but help in bringing people together.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
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