Bommai Kolu, also known as Golu, traditionally a women’s festival, is celebrated by South Indians (Tamilians especially) during Dassera (Navaratri). A set of steps is set up and kolu bommai or dolls depicting Gods, village scenes and weddings are displayed. The woman of the house invites other women and their children to come see the kolu, eat a few snacks, exchange a little gossip, play with the children and go home with goodies.But what happens when little kids be homeless, away from family rather are not even aware of the whereabouts of their family?
This year Navaratri was a time of revelations. A group of about 30 kids from a transit school - that rescues child labourers, gives them basic education and makes them join the mainstream of life - in the Prabhadevi area of Mumbai and Vartak Nagar area of Thane had arranged a kolu within the precincts of their school for the first time in their lives.
The family of Surendra Rajasekhar Kovoor, his brother Deepak and sister Subhadra, have been involved with the kids for the past 5 years after rescuing them from cracker-making, basket weaving, and textile factories in down South towns like Salem and North Arcot. The family then resolved that they would bring up these children just as every other normal child with all the basic comforts and facilities required in day-to-day life. In fact, it was this group of kids, which ‘inaugurated’ the kolu even before Navaratri officially, began.
The kolu fills three rooms, beginning from the verandah of the school at Thane. “With the little wooden frames and a group of dedicated children at the school, the staircase was made ready. We pooled in ideas and bought a set of dolls with the assistance of our teachers from Matunga’s Giri store, which, we realized, wasn’t quite enough,” reveals Shikha, a 13 year old girl who was rescued 3 years back by Deepak from a Beedi making factory in North Arcot district, Tamil Nadu. It was then that the kids hit upon the idea of making their own dolls with clay, atta (dough), Wool, ice-cream sticks and wet mud. Mridula Shankari, who made her dolls from plastic wires, used cotton to offer it some shape and draped them with tattered cloth materials and along with Vikas and Lalitha, her best pals made effigies of Lord Krishna in Ras Leela with other gopikas.
Tasneem Mohammad (12), along with Vishal Parab & Janani Rajagopalan (both 13) made a set of dolls portraying couples clad in traditional dresses of different states in the country and a wedding party with the bride seated on the palanquin. Anitha Shivaraman (14) single handedly made dolls from marble powder, contributing dolls for the top rung of the Kolu staircase; a foot and a half tall Ganesha flanked by Lakshmi and Saraswathi being the centerpiece.
Kavitha Rajan (12) with the help of her teacher Naina Rao, made attractive decorative items using cardboard sheets and glittering plastic beads, brought the face of Gowri made of fibre, traditionally kept over the kalasa with coconut and mango leaves atop. “We bought only certain effigies from the market. The dressing and fine-tuning has been done by the kids themselves.” Rao explains.
Within a span of 30 days, the kids had produced around 50 dolls on their own, decorated the school premises with Colourful ribbons, balloons, and crape papers.
On each day, the school authorities conducted a pooja much in the traditional way, with participation from the school’s management, staff and of course!
On all 9 days the children recited from the Athichoodi when they saw a figurine of Avvaiyar - a classic Tamil poet and recited Tirukkural in front of the Tiruvalluvar doll - another renowned Tamil poet, the Mahishasur stotra and the Gayatri mantra in front of the Durga idol.
After feasting their eyes on the kolu, they gorged on kesari (Sheera) and puran poli and custard milk sieved with coconut. When Surendra asked them if they enjoyed the kolu, they said in one voice that they loved it. They also said this was the first time they had arranged and seen a kolu though they had heard about it and seen it on TV and movies.
“It’s unique,” says Aparna Kovoor, one of the founders of the school who had displayed her Gowri mukha. “This is a different kind of recreation for the kids. It is an attempt at making them feel that they are also an integral part of the society and like everyone else they also get the privilege of celebrating a significant Indian festival.”
Visitors, guests and special invitees from various parts of the city came in and appreciated enormously the efforts of these little children. People were all praises for the innovations and the dedication the children had shown towards making Navaratri a memorable festival for themselves and others. And what did the kids like in particular? “Everything,” said everybody. But Prashanth, one of the bright lads of the group, raised his voice and said, “The communal harmony kolu,” - which depicted the major religions of the world and whose significance Surendra had explained to them along with narrating the mythological story of Maa Durga associated with the festival of Navaratri.
Their teacher Vani Unnikrishnan led them in a vote of thanks at the end of the 9th day (closing day). She also used the chance to stress the need for them to stay in the school and not drop out. The kids shook their head vigorously and chorused, “No dropout.”
Also by surya
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- Disabled by the system - June 20th, 2007
- Broken People - April 29th, 2007
- Alone in the City - January 16th, 2007
- A Different Love - December 4th, 2006