It's a vibrant drama of sorts that's unfolding once again in most homes in the city. Behold this magnificent display, a grand celebration that captures decades of traditions most families have proudly preserved over the years. The Dasara dolls, adorned with different themes, are prized possessions that tell a unique tale. And there are many homes where the legacy numbers in thousands.
Sandhya Kumar, who has more than 5,000 dolls, has been displaying them for the last 15 years and lately, she has been adhering to a concept every year. "Since the last seven years, I have stuck to a different theme each year. These include 'Festivals of India', 'Ramayana', Tirupati Venkateswara, Kukke Subramanya and Talakadu temples. This year, the theme is Mata Vaishno Devi Temple of Jammu and Kashmir and the 'pattada bombe' (Raja Rani) is always a must," she says.
She has displayed around 3,000 dolls this time and decorated around 100 of them according to the theme. Of these, about 50 are new additions — handmade wire dolls by her sister and herself.
The collection has dolls fabricated from various materials — wood, plaster of Paris, mud, brass, plastic, rubber, paper mache and stuffed ones. "I indulge in a lot of art work like oil paintings, Tanjore, 'warli', 'kundan' rangoli, quilling and making terracotta jewellery. A lot of this work is depicted in the dolls."
She usually starts a couple of months before the festival and takes the same amount of time to keep them back carefully. "Each doll is wrapped in newspaper or bubble wrap and kept in cartons, packaged with straw and paper pieces to avoid damage. I also label each box with the particular type to avoid any confusion," says Sandhya who has also won many prizes for her eclectic display.
A resident of Basavanagudi, Bhagyalakshmi boasts of a vast collection of 20,000 dolls. "All my relatives who go abroad bring only dolls for me. I have dolls from Germany, Canada, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Switzerland and some other countries.
There are pieces in ivory, sandalwood, camel bone, plastic, clay and even those coated with 14-carat gold. Some have been passed down over generations and are around 100 years old," she gushes. The display is on for 15 days and people are welcomed with some tasty 'puliyogare'.
Last year, it was an interesting display with four themes coming together. "I showcased the Chitradurga fort associated with Kittur Rani Chennamma, the BMTC bus stand for people travelling to Chitradurga, the Kolkata Durga Puja and a village school theme. The fort and bus stand were constructed with thermocol. It won great appreciation from everyone," she says. And the dolls are much cared for as they are packed along with medicine to avoid any worms. She says with pride that even her grand daughters are aware of her enthusiasm and keep in mind to buy dolls for her as well as help out with the display.
At Veena Ravi's place in Gandhi Bazaar, a separate shed-like room on the third floor is dedicated to 5,000 dolls. She has toyed around with themes like 'Ramayana', 'Dashavatara', 'Krishnavatara', 'Mysuru Dasara' and 'Navadurga'.
So what's in store this year? "We have depicted the 108 Vishnu temples in and around India like Badrinath, Dwarka, Ayodhya, Nandagokula, Vrindavan, Kerala style temple in Trivandrum and one in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. It is the collective effort of my son, daughter, husband and me." For Sumathi Krishnan, the dolls are like her children whom she loves dearly. She has around 2,000 of them and this time, she has chosen a few verses from the 'Dayashatakam' by Swami Deshikar, where he is telling Daya Devi to protect all the 'jeev aatmas', for her theme. Her daughter Shrujana has taken keen interest in helping her with the display. "They are not merely dolls. Each piece is a messenger of our rich heritage and mythology and can serve as a valuable source of information for the future generations," she says.
![]( "vibrant The display of dolls based on Mata Vaishno Devi Temple at Sandhya's place. DH PHOTO BY ROOPAL")
It’s a vibrant drama of sorts that’s unfolding once again in most homes in the city. Behold this magnificent display, a grand celebration that captures decades of traditions most families have proudly preserved over the years. The Dasara dolls, adorned with different themes, are prized possessions that tell a unique tale. And there are many homes where the legacy numbers in thousands.
Sandhya Kumar, who has more than 5,000 dolls, has been displaying them for the last 15 years and lately, she has been adhering to a concept every year. "Since the last seven years, I have stuck to a different theme each year. These include 'Festivals of India’, 'Ramayana’, Tirupati Venkateswara, Kukke Subramanya and Talakadu temples. This year, the theme is Mata Vaishno Devi Temple of Jammu and Kashmir and the 'pattada bombe’ (Raja Rani) is always a must,” she says.
She has displayed around 3,000 dolls this time and decorated around 100 of them according to the theme. Of these, about 50 are new additions — handmade wire dolls by her sister and herself.
The collection has dolls fabricated from various materials — wood, plaster of Paris, mud, brass, plastic, rubber, paper mache and stuffed ones. "I indulge in a lot of art work like oil paintings, Tanjore, 'warli’, 'kundan’ rangoli, quilling and making terracotta jewellery. A lot of this work is depicted in the dolls.”
She usually starts a couple of months before the festival and takes the same amount of time to keep them back carefully. "Each doll is wrapped in newspaper or bubble wrap and kept in cartons, packaged with straw and paper pieces to avoid damage. I also label each box with the particular type to avoid any confusion,” says Sandhya who has also won many prizes for her eclectic display.
A resident of Basavanagudi, Bhagyalakshmi boasts of a vast collection of 20,000 dolls. "All my relatives who go abroad bring only dolls for me. I have dolls from Germany, Canada, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Switzerland and some other countries.
There are pieces in ivory, sandalwood, camel bone, plastic, clay and even those coated with 14-carat gold. Some have been passed down over generations and are around 100 years old,” she gushes. The display is on for 15 days and people are welcomed with some tasty 'puliyogare’.
Last year, it was an interesting display with four themes coming together. "I showcased the Chitradurga fort associated with Kittur Rani Chennamma, the BMTC bus stand for people travelling to Chitradurga, the Kolkata Durga Puja and a village school theme. The fort and bus stand were constructed with thermocol. It won great appreciation from everyone,” she says. And the dolls are much cared for as they are packed along with medicine to avoid any worms. She says with pride that even her grand daughters are aware of her enthusiasm and keep in mind to buy dolls for her as well as help out with the display.
At Veena Ravi’s place in Gandhi Bazaar, a separate shed-like room on the third floor is dedicated to 5,000 dolls. She has toyed around with themes like 'Ramayana’, 'Dashavatara’, 'Krishnavatara’, 'Mysuru Dasara’ and 'Navadurga’.
So what’s in store this year? "We have depicted the 108 Vishnu temples in and around India like Badrinath, Dwarka, Ayodhya, Nandagokula, Vrindavan, Kerala style temple in Trivandrum and one in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. It is the collective effort of my son, daughter, husband and me.” For Sumathi Krishnan, the dolls are like her children whom she loves dearly. She has around 2,000 of them and this time, she has chosen a few verses from the 'Dayashatakam’ by Swami Deshikar, where he is telling Daya Devi to protect all the 'jeev aatmas’, for her theme. Her daughter Shrujana has taken keen interest in helping her with the display. "They are not merely dolls. Each piece is a messenger of our rich heritage and mythology and can serve as a valuable source of information for the future generations,” she says.
Sandhya Kumar, who has more than 5,000 dolls, has been displaying them for the last 15 years and lately, she has been adhering to a concept every year. "Since the last seven years, I have stuck to a different theme each year. These include 'Festivals of India', 'Ramayana', Tirupati Venkateswara, Kukke Subramanya and Talakadu temples. This year, the theme is Mata Vaishno Devi Temple of Jammu and Kashmir and the 'pattada bombe' (Raja Rani) is always a must," she says.
She has displayed around 3,000 dolls this time and decorated around 100 of them according to the theme. Of these, about 50 are new additions — handmade wire dolls by her sister and herself.
The collection has dolls fabricated from various materials — wood, plaster of Paris, mud, brass, plastic, rubber, paper mache and stuffed ones. "I indulge in a lot of art work like oil paintings, Tanjore, 'warli', 'kundan' rangoli, quilling and making terracotta jewellery. A lot of this work is depicted in the dolls."
She usually starts a couple of months before the festival and takes the same amount of time to keep them back carefully. "Each doll is wrapped in newspaper or bubble wrap and kept in cartons, packaged with straw and paper pieces to avoid damage. I also label each box with the particular type to avoid any confusion," says Sandhya who has also won many prizes for her eclectic display.
A resident of Basavanagudi, Bhagyalakshmi boasts of a vast collection of 20,000 dolls. "All my relatives who go abroad bring only dolls for me. I have dolls from Germany, Canada, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Switzerland and some other countries.
There are pieces in ivory, sandalwood, camel bone, plastic, clay and even those coated with 14-carat gold. Some have been passed down over generations and are around 100 years old," she gushes. The display is on for 15 days and people are welcomed with some tasty 'puliyogare'.
Last year, it was an interesting display with four themes coming together. "I showcased the Chitradurga fort associated with Kittur Rani Chennamma, the BMTC bus stand for people travelling to Chitradurga, the Kolkata Durga Puja and a village school theme. The fort and bus stand were constructed with thermocol. It won great appreciation from everyone," she says. And the dolls are much cared for as they are packed along with medicine to avoid any worms. She says with pride that even her grand daughters are aware of her enthusiasm and keep in mind to buy dolls for her as well as help out with the display.
At Veena Ravi's place in Gandhi Bazaar, a separate shed-like room on the third floor is dedicated to 5,000 dolls. She has toyed around with themes like 'Ramayana', 'Dashavatara', 'Krishnavatara', 'Mysuru Dasara' and 'Navadurga'.
So what's in store this year? "We have depicted the 108 Vishnu temples in and around India like Badrinath, Dwarka, Ayodhya, Nandagokula, Vrindavan, Kerala style temple in Trivandrum and one in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. It is the collective effort of my son, daughter, husband and me." For Sumathi Krishnan, the dolls are like her children whom she loves dearly. She has around 2,000 of them and this time, she has chosen a few verses from the 'Dayashatakam' by Swami Deshikar, where he is telling Daya Devi to protect all the 'jeev aatmas', for her theme. Her daughter Shrujana has taken keen interest in helping her with the display. "They are not merely dolls. Each piece is a messenger of our rich heritage and mythology and can serve as a valuable source of information for the future generations," she says.
It’s a vibrant drama of sorts that’s unfolding once again in most homes in the city. Behold this magnificent display, a grand celebration that captures decades of traditions most families have proudly preserved over the years. The Dasara dolls, adorned with different themes, are prized possessions that tell a unique tale. And there are many homes where the legacy numbers in thousands.Sandhya Kumar, who has more than 5,000 dolls, has been displaying them for the last 15 years and lately, she has been adhering to a concept every year. "Since the last seven years, I have stuck to a different theme each year. These include 'Festivals of India’, 'Ramayana’, Tirupati Venkateswara, Kukke Subramanya and Talakadu temples. This year, the theme is Mata Vaishno Devi Temple of Jammu and Kashmir and the 'pattada bombe’ (Raja Rani) is always a must,” she says.
She has displayed around 3,000 dolls this time and decorated around 100 of them according to the theme. Of these, about 50 are new additions — handmade wire dolls by her sister and herself.
The collection has dolls fabricated from various materials — wood, plaster of Paris, mud, brass, plastic, rubber, paper mache and stuffed ones. "I indulge in a lot of art work like oil paintings, Tanjore, 'warli’, 'kundan’ rangoli, quilling and making terracotta jewellery. A lot of this work is depicted in the dolls.”
She usually starts a couple of months before the festival and takes the same amount of time to keep them back carefully. "Each doll is wrapped in newspaper or bubble wrap and kept in cartons, packaged with straw and paper pieces to avoid damage. I also label each box with the particular type to avoid any confusion,” says Sandhya who has also won many prizes for her eclectic display.
A resident of Basavanagudi, Bhagyalakshmi boasts of a vast collection of 20,000 dolls. "All my relatives who go abroad bring only dolls for me. I have dolls from Germany, Canada, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Switzerland and some other countries.
There are pieces in ivory, sandalwood, camel bone, plastic, clay and even those coated with 14-carat gold. Some have been passed down over generations and are around 100 years old,” she gushes. The display is on for 15 days and people are welcomed with some tasty 'puliyogare’.
Last year, it was an interesting display with four themes coming together. "I showcased the Chitradurga fort associated with Kittur Rani Chennamma, the BMTC bus stand for people travelling to Chitradurga, the Kolkata Durga Puja and a village school theme. The fort and bus stand were constructed with thermocol. It won great appreciation from everyone,” she says. And the dolls are much cared for as they are packed along with medicine to avoid any worms. She says with pride that even her grand daughters are aware of her enthusiasm and keep in mind to buy dolls for her as well as help out with the display.
At Veena Ravi’s place in Gandhi Bazaar, a separate shed-like room on the third floor is dedicated to 5,000 dolls. She has toyed around with themes like 'Ramayana’, 'Dashavatara’, 'Krishnavatara’, 'Mysuru Dasara’ and 'Navadurga’.
So what’s in store this year? "We have depicted the 108 Vishnu temples in and around India like Badrinath, Dwarka, Ayodhya, Nandagokula, Vrindavan, Kerala style temple in Trivandrum and one in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. It is the collective effort of my son, daughter, husband and me.” For Sumathi Krishnan, the dolls are like her children whom she loves dearly. She has around 2,000 of them and this time, she has chosen a few verses from the 'Dayashatakam’ by Swami Deshikar, where he is telling Daya Devi to protect all the 'jeev aatmas’, for her theme. Her daughter Shrujana has taken keen interest in helping her with the display. "They are not merely dolls. Each piece is a messenger of our rich heritage and mythology and can serve as a valuable source of information for the future generations,” she says.