A handmade Krishna Mutt set with a Kanakana Kindi occupies the pride of place in Sowmya Srikanth’s doll display. Made with cardboard and clay, the eco-friendly model is the most recent addition to her elaborate collection for this Dasara.
The Bombe Habba , an intrinsic part of Dasara, is being kept alive not just by individuals, but also by several organisations in the city.
With around 2,000 dolls passed down over four generations, Ms. Srikanth said her family’s artistic nature contributed to her keen interest in the tradition. Her unique and exquisite dolls were exhibited at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, as part of their annual Dasara festivities. Accustomed to hosting the Bombe Habba at home, she and her family took a week’s time to set up the exhibits.
“It was immensely encouraging that Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan acknowledged our endeavour and invited us to display our work,” she said.
Dhaatu, a renowned organisation, is known for promoting this tradition. Anupama Hoskere, the co-founder, said, “Exhibiting dolls served as a successful medium to achieve our purpose of cultural education.”
An expansive exhibit houses several dolls, some of which are 200 years old. “Some of the dolls, like that of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi, the Thanjavur Gowri idol, and brass kitchenware, were passed on to me by my great-grandmother,” said Ms. Hoskere. Her puppeteering team helps her catalogue the dolls based on themes.
The turnout for the doll exhibition has been increasing with each passing year.“Ten years ago, these festivities were common. Now, a lot of young families feel distant from our culture, and therefore come seeking a way to acquaint themselves with it,” she said.
Bharat Vikas Parishad has been organising doll exhibit competitions in Vijayanagar, Govindarajanagar, Chandra Layout, Basaveshwaranagar and RPC Layout for the past 17 years. “Our aim is to prevent our culture and heritage from fading away,” said K.V. Rao, senior member and former State president of Bharat Vikas Parishad. However, he has seen a drop in registered participants. “At one time, we had about 50 participants, but this year it is 35. However, people continue to be enthusiastic about being a part of our competition.”
