Dasara celebrated with display of exquisite ‘Kolu’ collection

Visakhapatnam : Brimming with a child-like enthusiasm, Prema Mohan gets busy selecting gifts to be presented to women and children who frequent her house during ‘Navratri’.

As trunks of decade-old clay and wooden idols are drawn carefully from the attics to arrange for the ‘Bommai Kolu’ at her residence along with the new ones, Prema says that the joy of gifting accentuates during Dasara as it exudes positive vibes. “This year, I got pairs of brass lamps to be presented to those visiting home during Navratri,” shares the Tamilian.

The tradition of ‘Golu-hopping’ to homes during ‘Navratri’ is often carried out in groups. Starting from the closest point to the house that is located far away, several households are covered during the festival.

Be it viewing an exquisite collection of idols and eye-catching figurines arranged in ‘padis’ (steps), thoughtful themes portrayed and home-grown mini parks that dot the neighbourhoods, ‘Golu-hopping’ remains to be one of the sought-after exercises followed during nine-day-long Dasara.

Even as Tamilians celebrate the festival with traditional ‘kolu’, Telugu families find it an opportunity to narrate tales through ‘BommalaKoluvu’. When sets of idols and dolls find their way to the steps arranged as part of the ‘BommalaKoluvu’, they depict diverse themes and stories.

“For instance, the wedding sets portray the rituals followed during the special occasion. Likewise, the long journey of farm to plate through figurines of farmers and fields, different avatars of Lord Vishnu through ‘Dasavatharam’, the devotion of Bhakta Kannappa, among several others, narrate a tale,” elaborates A Padmavathi, a retired teacher.

She firmly believes that traditions play an imperative part in one’s life and following them meticulously would not only serve as an educative platform for the next generations to learn from but also encourage them to get a deeper perspective of the festival.

Exhibiting idols and dolls, Kannadigas celebrate ‘Gombe Habba’ with family and friends.

As ‘Dandiya’ dance forms an intrinsic part of Dasara, a host of associations have come up with Dandiya nights for the revellers in Visakhapatnam.

Donning traditional attire, revellers gear up to sway in tandem to some of the peppy tunes, wielding Dandiya sticks.

Marking Dasara celebrations, Vaisakhi Sports Park is hosting a ‘Garba night’ at the Skating Park located in Murali Nagar on October 10 from 6:30 pm onwards.