Mysuru will soon be gripped by the festive season of Dasara. Among multitudes of rituals, pujas and festivities, many households here will be busy mustering their doll treasures onto temporary stepped scaffolding.
This is for the annual doll festival, Bombe Habba, which is a phenomenon distinctly ‘Mysuru’ in its flavour and appeal.
According to a release, Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, Mysuru, will be organising Bombe Habba with its 12th edition of Bombe Mane from September 15 to October 31. A veritable congregation of dolls under one roof, each deftly crafted by artistes from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and other places, will be on display at the annual expo from 10 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. at Prathima Gallery on Nazarabad Main Road.
On Wednesday, Sri Vidyadeesha Tirtha Swami of Sri Palimaru Peetha, Udupi, inaugurated the exhibition.
The year 2016 marks the birth centenary of M.S. Subbulakshmi, the greatest exponent of Classical Karnataka music of this century. Bombe Mane will commemorate this event by introducing three new dolls depicting the divine balladeer Narada, saint Kanakadasa and saint Purandaradasa.
The RKP has also designed the Jumboo Savari procession and skilled craftsmen have created 68 pieces set in clay and paper mesh.
The heroic Veeragasay troupe, Vajra Mushti wrestling scene, the folk dance-form of Somana Kunita along with the standard bearers are a part of this set, the release said.
This year’s special display section has different themes.
The Mysuru palace recently hosted the wedding of Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and Trishika Kumari. In memory of this, the first special display section is dedicated to the weddings of Wadiyar rulers and their kin. Rare vintage photographs of their marriages will be on display along with other memorabilia. The second special display is of Sri Krishna as the caretaker of cows with an emphasis on the diversity of cattle breeds of India. “Such diversity of heirloom cattle heritage is unique to India and this cattle legacy has nurtured thousands of generations of Indians. Bombe Mane celebrates this bovine heritage of India,” the release said.
Deepa Soundarya, the expo of lamps, will come alive from September 15 onwards at the same venue from 10 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.
