The 17th edition of ‘Bombe Mane,’ an expo of exquisite dolls from across India, organised by Ramsons Kala Pratishtana (RKP), Mysuru, will be held throughout the year at ‘Bombe Mane,’ #91, above Aamrapali Saree Store, Nazarbad Main Road, from today (Sept. 18) between 10 am and 7.30 pm daily.

Exclusive, limited edition collectors’ pieces representative of the quaint rituals of Mysuru Dasara festivities, have been commissioned and exquisitely hand-crafted by master artisans for the discerning few at this ‘Bombe Mane.’

 This special collection is a reflection of the city’s cultural, social and religious heritage. Along with the exclusive dolls, ‘Bombe Mane’ has a huge collection of dolls, nearly 5,000 or so representing different facets of the country’s cultural heritage.

Ramsons Kala Pratishtana has commissioned Channapatna dolls by giving its special designs of Peg Dolls which depict the Kodanda Rama set, the divine pairs of Radha Krishna, Brahma Saraswati, Shiva Parvati and Lakshmi Narayana. 

The dioramas of Rama and his entourage flying in the Pushpaka Vimana, Kumbhakarna fighting in the battle, Navarasa, Surya Namaskara, Shravana Kumara taking his parents for pilgrimage are novel creations for this year’s ‘Bombe Habba.’ 

The dolls of Mysuru Chamundeshwari, Dharmasthala Manjunatha, Horanadu Annapoorneshwari, Kolluru Mookambika, Tulaja Bhavani and many more are new additions this year.

The following craft clusters across the country are dependant on their livelihood by creating these dolls: Wooden Miniature Models, Mysuru, Karnataka; Lathe turned wooden toys, Channapatna, Karnataka; Clay dolls, Panruti, TN; Paper mesh dolls, Villianur, Pondicherry; Lathe turned wooden toys, Ettikoppa, AP; Wooden dolls, Kerala; POP Dolls, Kolhapur, Maharashtra; Wooden Dolls, Kinhala, Karnataka; Clay dolls, Cuddalore, TN; Terracotta dolls, Villupuram, TN; Cloth stuffed dolls, Pondicherry; Light wood dolls, Kondapalli, AP; Wooden polychrome dolls, Varanasi, UP; Clay dolls,    Krishnanagar, WB.

Dolls are reflective of our work culture, says theatre personality Prasanna

Mysuru, Sept.18 (SPN&DM)- Maintaining that the screening of  foreign robotic dolls in social media platforms are not of much help for children, renowned theatre personality Prasanna said that the display of hand-crafted dolls, which are reflective of our rich culture and tradition,  will help in promoting our work culture (Kayaka Samskruti).

He was speaking after inaugurating the 17th edition of ‘Bombe Mane,’ an expo of exquisite dolls from across India, organised by Ramsons Kala Pratishtana (RKP), Mysuru, at its premises in Nazarbad here last evening.

Bemoaning that with rapid advancement in science and technology children are getting used to learning through mobile and playing with robotic dolls, Prasanna, Founder of Charaka, Desi, Grama Seva Sangha and Ragi Kana, stressed on the need for parents to introduce their wards to our rich doll tradition and heritage. 

Regretting that the present generation of children are getting addicted to cell phones, he emphasised on the need for educating them on our Kayaka Samskruti and our dignified culture.

Contending that dolls are our natural learning tools, he said that children can learn about different forms of art, farming, nature and the like. 

Mysuru SP R. Chethan, who inaugurated the special display section of ‘Bombe Mane’ said that Dasara opens up a flora of opportunities to  have a look at the world beyond cell phones. He further said that ‘Bombe Mane’ is a representative of  eclectic collection of dolls that reflect the cultural flavour of the country, its people, their lives, festivals, Gods, traditions  etc.

Noted Mysuru traditional painters B.P. Ramakrishna, Shivaraj Verma, Srinivas Reddy, Shashank Bharadwaj and Ravish Kumar and Kamsale artiste Mahesh were felicitated on the occasion.

Ramsons Kala Pratishtana Chairman Ajay Kumar Singh, Secretary R.G. Singh, Raghu Dharmendra and others were present.

Vitthala Varkari tradition

This 2021 edition of ‘Bombe Mane’ features Vitthala Varkari tradition. Vitthala is a Kannada deity which is popular since many centuries even before Vijayanagara empire.

 A language becomes malleable and subjective in the matter of love, especially when the heart melts looking at a child. Just like ‘Krishna’ became ‘Kitta’ in the affectionate tongue of a devotee, ‘Vishnu’ became ‘Vittu’ which further transformed into Vitthala’. 

Vitthala is the patron deity of three Ashtamathas of Udupi which are, Pejawara, Puthige and Shirur. Just across the ghats, in the plains of Tungabhadra, the boulder ridden stark landmass of the city of Vijayanagara, the capital of Karnataka kingdom, has a shining crown jewel in the form of temple dedicated to Vijaya Vitthala whose stone pillars also sing.

Vitthala visits Pandhari to call upon Pundalika but stays there for ever. Commemorating their deity’s visit to Pandharpur, devotees walk from their home towns to Pandharpur twice a year — once to have darshan on Ashadha Ekadashi and once again on the Kartika Ekadashi. 

This walking pilgrimage is Varkari in which men and women carry saffron flags, Tulasi pot and with tiny cymbals, mridanga or lute in their hands they walk, dance, twirl in ecstasy singing the divine bhajans and abhangs in praise of Vitthala and his devotees. This Varkari tradition is the highlight at this year’s special display section.

Miniature Models at Special Display Section

A major milestone this year is it being the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence. Colourful heritage prints and calendar prints depicting various important events leading upto the Indian Independence along with the stalwarts of those time and their dolls have been displayed at the second special display section of ‘Bombe Mane.’

The third special display features the miniature model of Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) building which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. It is 125th anniversary of Deputy Commissioner’s Office building at Gordon Park. Along with miniature models of these two, the model of St. Philomena’s Cathedral forms the third display section.

At ‘Bombe Mane,’ one can see a representative, eclectic collection of dolls that reflects the cultural flavour of the country, its people, their lives, their festivals and also their Gods. 

Visitors can walk into the year-long ‘Bombe Mane’ exquisite dolls expo and there is no entry fee.