The September 29 surgical strike by the Indian Army across the Line of Control seems to have inspired a patriotic touch to the famous kolu celebrations, which normally see an array of dolls depicting mythology and tradition, getting displayed during Navarathri.
Paying tributes to the Indian soldiers who took part in the strike, a resident in the city has devoted a portion of the kolu pavilion to them.
“Navaratri is the festival of bomma kolu, wherein dolls are displayed to depict the Puranas, weddings, tradition, culture and events from everyday life. But to salute the bravery of our soldiers, our family decided to place dolls of soldiers and recall the surgical strike,” said B.V. Rajalakshmi, a resident of Arun Nagar in Hasthampatti. “It helps visitors recall the contribution of our soldiers in guarding our boundary.” Dolls of soldiers, artillery, Army band and the tri-colour form this small commemorative section.
Ms. Rajalakshmi’s husband S. Lakshmikanthan, who brought these dolls from Srirangapatna in Mysuru, said that throughout the year they used to buy dolls from various places they visited.
“The idea of buying the dolls to depict the surgical strike did occur to us then. It did only while arranging the others for kolu ,” he said. This time, their kolu went beyond being religious.
