Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | NXg | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest |

Dolling up for the fete

Colours of Navaratri The ‘Bomma Kolu’ in all its finery

Joie de vivre, music, festivities, ‘Bomma kolu’ … all an inevitable part of Navaratri celebrations in South India. Arranging the ‘Bomma Kolu’ is eagerly awaited by children and adults alike. The dolls are arranged on ste ps draped with a white cloth or colourful silk brocades specially designed for this purpose. The whole place is also decorated with flowers, streamers and lamps.

“The makeshift 15-step traditional ‘Bomma kolu’ in my grandmother’s home is still fresh in my memory,” reminices Saraswathi Vasudevan. “Now my themes depict historical monuments, the Vivekananda Rock and even miniatures of the seven wonders of the world!” she adds.

Belief has it that the deity would be present in one of the dolls on all the nine days of the festival.

The traditional dolls include the idols of Gods and Goddesses, Dasavatharam, Ramayana, ‘Chettiar’ family and Ganesha in different forms, to name a few.

“The old dolls are repainted and it is a must that you buy at least one new doll every year thus adding to the collection that is passed on from one generation to another,” explains Lata Mahesh.

Bomma kolu for Revati Mahesh is a dream come true.

“Initially I used to make the kolu out of small pieces of furniture. Now, I have a ready-made kolu stand, with some of my mother’s collection of rare dolls,” she says.

Her friend Priya Ravikrishnan adds: “‘Marappaachis,’ the wooden dolls dressed in finery, are a must. Nowadays, the Bomma kolu is innovated with statuettes of various vocations, cricket fields and even has Hollywood and Bollywood themes! Youngsters also bring in their own ideas such as cabbage patch dolls and other accessories to the kolu.”

Personal invitations are sent out to female friends and family to come see the Bomma kolu in all its finery.

‘Chundals,’ made of channa, which are prepared for the evening ‘nivedyam,’ are given to visitors, along with sweets and a ‘thamboolam’ of small gifts.

“The festive scenario is the best time for social networking,” believes Padma Ramachandran, former Chief Secretary of Kerala. “It is also an opportunity to express one’s musical, culinary and artistic talents,” she adds referring to the traditional customs of requesting guests to sing a song, drawing rangoli, and creating varieties of savouries and ‘chundals.’ Although Bomma kolu is predominantly a women’s festival, it is also a community festival that bonds people in many ways.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail