Unique doll display brings a southern touch to Navratras

NEW DELHI: The energy levels and spirit of this old couple are unmatched. A look at the "Bommai Kolu" arrangement the display of dolls only confirms this and leaves one quite wide-eyed. This year, the Ramachandrans celebrate their 30th year of putting up this display, celebrating Navaratras in the traditional south-Indian style. The duo, who live in Vasant Kunj, had come to settle in Delhi in the 60s.
To organise the "Bommai Kolu" is a herculean task and is spread over nine giant steps from the floor, high up to the ceiling. These nine steps represent the nine days of "Navratras". In its entirety, the display is a microcosm of the economy, society, culture as well as mythology. The gods and goddesses rest on higher planks, while the lives of people are represented by dolls on lower steps. The lowest level includes wooden replicas of fruits, vegetables, animals and birds.
In certain families, these dolls are passed on from one generation to the other. Chandrakala Ramachandran has collected them over the years, piece by piece, from Chennai.
According to tradition, marapachi or wooden dolls are the first to be placed at the beginning of the pujas. The kolu or dolls, in essence, are guards in Durga's assembly, which is held just before the goddess proceeds to slay Mahishasura.
These little dolls are expressive enough to narrate stories everyone has grown up listening to. While one unit depicts the love and affection between Radha and Krishna, with gopis surrounding them, another tells of the fight between Ganesh and Kartikeya, over their parents Vishnu and Parvati.
Over nine days, the Ramachandrans are visited by the young and old, who appreciate and admire their devotion. Mrs Shashi Sharma, a neighbour of the couple, says: "They are keeping their tradition alive. This is also a revival of our sanskriti. It looks beautiful and is very different from the way we, north-Indians, celebrate it. Despite being of considerable age, they are yet able to make this kind of effort and even offer all visitors home-made prasadam."
Ask the couple how they manage to arrange the grand "Kolu" each year with as much enthusiasm, and Mr Ramachandran has an interesting reply, "I help her, while she helps me."