Carrying on the festive legacy
First Lady of Telangana, Vimala Narasimhan, has been independently making all arrangements for Bommala Koluvu. “It’s been there in my mother’s family and in my in-laws’ family as well. So since I got married, I have been doing it independently,” she says. “The first three days we worship Maa Durga, then the next three days Goddess Laxmi and then Saraswati and on the 10th day it’s Vijaya Dashami. When we do aahavanam — we put rice, dal and add flowers, paan ka patta, haldi and kumkum, tie it with flowers and put it in a kalasham and place a coconut on that — we believe that these three deities come to our place. And it is kept on the topmost step of kolu.”
Vimala also places figures of other deities on different steps. “I only put dolls that have been there in the family. And every year, we have to add a new one. A wooden couple which was given to us during our wedding is kept on the topmost step. It will be used generation after generation. Most of the dolls which I have were given to me by my mother-in-law, which she got during her wedding,” she says. She adds, “During their childhood, my younger son used to climb the kolu and insist that he wants to drink tea in a small cup and saucer kept there for decoration. There were times when he would hide them. But when my grandchildren did such things, we never stopped them. The kids were even allowed to taste the prasad before the gods.”
Holy mantras of the goddess
Ashtami is a very important day. I celebrate it by fasting and listening to the Durga Sapta Shati, a story of the nine avatars of Goddess Durga, which is written in 700 shlokas. We also perform a havan and light the akhanda deepam that is lit throughout the nine days. We also call nine kumarikas (girls who have not yet reached puberty) and do their puja.
— Rashmi Kandlikar, Dentist
Festival of giving
For us, more than the celebration, it is the pujas which we make the most of. We believe these nine days of festivity is the most auspicious time and on the eighth or the ninth day, we feed 9 young girls with prasad and give them gifts.
— Smita Shroff, Owner of Elahe
Traditional all the way
We visit my grandmother’s village for the Bathukamma festival, where the ladies from three generations gather around and dance. Apart from the puja, the prasad that we make is purely traditional — we make Muddapappu from softened boiled lentils, milk and jaggery.”
— Priyanka Aelay, Artist
Celebrating in mysore
For Dasara, I will be in Mysore. I love the celebrations there. Since childhood, my parents have taken me to the place so many times that it has become an integral part of the festival for me. Looking at the palace decked up for the festival and the parade on the day, alongside the fervour in the city with many tourists just coming to watch it all, is amazing. Also, this year the festivities are going to be special for me because I just bought a new car! I have watched my parents do the Ayudha puja every year, but this time, I will be doing it out of personal interest!
— Pranita Subhash, Actress
An eclectic mix
All festivals are celebrated for a single day, but Dasara lasts for about 10 days and I am very involved with the celebrations. We, at Aalayam Temple of Weaves, organise a handloom festival every week during Navaratri. We decorate the goddess in different ways. I used to fast every year during Navaratri, but this time I decided to have one meal a day, since I am travelling. I used to be excited about Bommala Koluvu as a kid, and now my daughter and my mother arrange it. I have never been a part of Bathukamma but I love to play dandiya. Hyderabad has a mixture of different communities and you learn to adapt to other customs as well.
— Smita, Singer
Age-old rituals
It is a big day for the people of Telangana as we celebrate Saddula Batukamma. We make around five to seven different types of rice. Earlier, people from many households would gather to celebrate Bathukamma, and it would serve as a potluck, where people taste others’ food. But now, it’s limited to within the house. After the dance around Bathukamma, which is made with various types of medicinal flowers, it is immersed into a water body, so that the medicinal properties of the flowers get mixed in the water. A symbolic Gowri idol made of turmeric is placed on top, which is also immersed.
— Soma Vijaya, Homemaker
