Jamshedpur: JTS organises competition to revive “Bommala Koluvu”, an old tradition to celebrate Dussehra by Telugu community

Jamshedpur, Oct 21: Jharkhand Telugu Sena (JTS) under the aegis of All India Telugu Community Welfare Association (AITCWA), a Pan-India social and cultural organization of the community, is striving to revive “Bommala Koluvu” (display of dolls), once a popular traditional way of celebrating Dussehra  and now facing threat of  extinction particularly in this part of the country.

Nine-day festival “Bommala Koluvu”, which starts from the first day of the Sharad Navratra, is mainly celebrated in Telugu families particularly having unmarried girls. The tradition of Bommala Koluvu, which used to be followed in the majority Telugu family in Jharkhand, is now being hosted by few families only.

In an attempt to revive the lost glory of Bommala Koluvu, JTS, a state wing of AITCWA, has decided to organize a “Bommala Koluvu” competition during the ensuing Durga puja festival, said P Sitaram Raju, General Secretary of JTS here on Friday.

Initially, we will organize it in Jamshedpur, where the Telugu community has around 1.30 lakh population, he said, adding that the competition will be expanded to other parts of the state from next year.

The competition is being organized under leadership of JTS women wing President G Vijaya Lakshmi, he informed.

The objective was to revive the dying culture in Jharkhand as well as to make the young generation understand its importance, Raju said.

JTS Convenor G Gopal Krishna said six Telugu families, who are still maintaining this culture, have given their consent to take part in the competition till date.

Bommala Koluvu in South India, particularly in undivided Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, is synonymous to ‘Dussehra’.

Bommala Koluvu is an oldest tradition and artistic display of dolls/figurines on wooden steps/planks mainly by women and unmarried girls.

It is a traditional way of exhibiting cultures and depicting mythological stories through various kinds of dolls and figurines during Navratra festival but it theoretically represents social gatherings etc.

The number of wooden steps/planks often varies in odd numbers from 1 to as many as nine, symbolizing nine divine days of Navratra, a JTS official said .

This is widely displayed during the Dusshera Festival or Sankranti in the Southern states of India.

Vijaya Lakshmi said one needs to have patience and sense of colours to arrange Bommala Koluvu, which is an occasion for family members and friends to get together and spend quality time.

One of the participants, S Vasanti, a resident of Green city residential complex in Mango, said the has been organizing Bommala Kolluvu for last 27 years without break. In fact, she never goes out of the city during Dussehra because of it, she added.

Among others, CH Madhuri of Green Enclave, Kadma and T Nagmani of Suchita Apartment, Sonari have been following the tradition for over two decades.

Specially illuminated in a small area of a room, Vasanti has also exhibited the successful landing of Chandrayaan 3 on moon beside the display of dolls

 made of wood, clay, cloth, brass and silver arranged along with statues of god and goddess in each step. culture.

Worshipping in the morning and evening is a must during the nine days for the organisers. On the last day, one doll is placed flat to indicate the end of the festival. During the nine day, relatives and friends visiting to see Bommala Koluvu (sort of exhibition of dolls) are distributed prasadam (prasad).

A four-member Jury including Vijaya Lakshmi, T Kavita, P Alekhya and Malathi will visit the houses of the participants taking part in the competition and select best three on the basis of arrangement of dolls, theme and couple of queries on the significance of the tradition, Raju said.

The winner will be honored tentatively on Andhra Day on November 1, he added.

Referring to the AITCWA, Nagpur-based P S N Murthy, Founder President of AITCWA, said the purpose was to serve Telugu community in various sectors, including health, education,promotion of culture and language in the country and abroad. Telugu Sena has its unit in over dozen states and abroad.

Among the social work being carried out by AITCWA include promotion of Telugu language in the community living in non-Telugu states and abroad online free of cost.

JTS President E Dharma Rao said the online classes (once a week) was started from 16th January, 2022 and 176 candidates (children, men and women) irrespective of age had enrolled in first batch. Out of 176, 25 candidates had appeared in the Telugu rudimentary learning test following the completion of year-long classes and 14 candidates, who had qualified in the test, began reading, writing in Telugu while the classes of second batch were on.