Bommala koluvu: a treasure trove of stories, traditions and memories

School holidays; grandma’s stories of victory of good over evil; Ram leela; burning of ravana’s effigy, puja, delicious food, family bonding — Dasara means a lot of things to a lot of people. But ask anyone who grew up in a traditional South Indian home what their Dasara memories are made of, and chances are that ‘bommala koluvu’ will find a special mention.The quaint custom of arranging an array of dolls, in elaborate themes, bommala koluvu brings in the festive mood of Dasara like nothing else. Times may have changed; the clay dolls and idols may have made way for fancy ones in ceramic or sometimes even gold and silver, but the charm of bommala koluvu remains the same, say Hyderabadis.
The preparations begin months in advance, with the old dolls being brought down from attics, and new ones added to fit the theme for the season. “We have a new theme every year and the ideation for it begins at least two months before the festival. After that, we set out to buy the dolls, idols and miniature articles that tell the story of the theme,” says Swapna Naik, a homemaker from Prashant Nagar, who waits for the annual expo, Numaish, to shop for her idols apart from shopping for them in Tamil nadu.
Collecting dolls, from far and wide
In fact, doll shopping is on the minds of koluvu makers throughout the year, because part of the fun lies in increasing your collection until you pass it on to the next generation. So, every trip, be it a pilgrimage or a holiday, becomes an excuse to go doll hunting, says Gomathi Padmanabhan, a French lecturer. “I recently travelled to Greece and Germany, and I spent a lot of time scouting for little dolls, toys and knick-knacks that can add to my koluvu collection. The colourful souvenirs lend some visual diversity and a fun element amid my Navaratri-themed idols. I wanted my kolu to be a fusion of various cultures and not just about Hindu mythology alone,” says the West Marredpally resident. But for many, it’s still a traditional affair. Anvita Dinavahi, a
21-year-old from Vizag, says, “When we put up the koluvu in our family, we use bommalu handed down from many generations. My granny used to store them carefully and they were brought out for Dasara every year. At my cousins’, the themes vary every year. This one time, the heirloom bommalu was theme and they used dolls passed down over many generations.”
Talking about the elaborate rituals that have become a part of her koluvu, Gomati adds, “I learnt a lot about the koluvu watching my mother-in-law. Today, I wake up at 4 am on all days of the festival to make arrangements for the pooja in the morning and prepare naivedyam before the priest arrives at
6 am. Each Navaratri day is represents by a
particular colour, so I change the sarees of my idols and dolls accordingly. I spend a lot of time improvising on the arrangements and the evenings are set aside to spend time with guests who drop in to see my koluvu.”
Bonding over ‘bommas’ and Dasara bonhomie
Reflecting on how the tradition came to be, P Mahalakshmi, a homemaker from R K Puram says, “Back in the day, this was yet another opportunity for women to unwind, socialise and celebrate, while indulging in their artistic side. They would do everything from scratch — from making the dolls to decorating the koluvu, which went from five steps to nine steps, and even featured accompanying arrangements on the sides. Of course, women in cities today don’t have the time to follow these elaborate rituals to the T. But it’s heartening to note that even young women are keen to take the tradition forward. Today the bommala koluvu is doubling up as an excuse for entire family to meet up and bond.”
Bommala Koluvu invites have now gone digital
Time was when women went door to door inviting women in the neighbourhood to come have a dekko at their bommala koluvu. Today, e-invites on social media have become the norm. Take for instance, Las Vegas-based architect Mythili Pragada. “I am in Hyderabad for the festive
season and wanted to use this opportunity to invite my friends and relatives to meet my baby and take a look at our bommala koluvu. I made a little invite and forwarded it to all the friends and family groups on Whatsapp. It’s so convenient! I’m in India only for a short break, so I can’t make it every household personally. I found this to be the best way to get back in touch with my friends and relatives.”
Using Bommala Koluvu to tell the stories that matter
Parents say bommalu koluvu is the perfect way to introduce mythological stories to young children. From Mahabharatha and Ramayana, to legends about Indian festivals, traditions of different regions; socially relevant issues — everything worth telling can be told through a well done bommala koluvu, says Swapna Naik. “Last year, I narrated an episode from Ramayana through my koluvu. This year, Srinivasa Kalyanam is the theme. I showed them how various devas and devathalu bless Lord Venkateshwara and Padmavati at their wedding and how guests come along and enjoy the wedding feast. My children also pitch in with
interesting design and décor ideas,” she says.
Similarly, Mahalakshmi integrated the demonetisation theme in her koluvu last year. “This way, the children are also aware of what’s happening in society. Making them involve in the koluvu set-up is a welcome distraction from their technology-dominated lives,” she opines. Often, new dolls are added to old ones to create exciting new themes. Sravani Gudimetla, a Vizagite, says, “Every year, my mother does the navaratrula vratam without fail. A week before the D-day, we put up the koluvu with at least six steps. Many of the dolls have been passed down since generations to my mom and grandma. We come up with a new theme every year. I remember, one year it was Jagannadh Yatra, another it was Lumbini Park. My favourite however was the Disneyland themed koluvu. Every year we ensure to add few dolls to our existing collection and I hope I’ll be able to pass down this tradition too.”