My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
Every year at Navaratri, apart from keeping a Bommai Golu at home myself, the one thing I look forward to, is the Golu kept by Mr. P.E.P. Swamy, of Garodia Nagar. His incredible attention to detail makes his arrangement stand out, and we await the chance to visit him and see what he has put up every year! This year, he has depicted a typical railway station....
On one side is a busy market area....
And on the other, a slum!
It is amazing to see the little details he has picked out, and how he has brought the entire scene to life!
I cannot possibly do justice to the work he has done, through this post, but I can only try, and post as many photos of interesting aspects I noticed....
Warning!! This is a long post, with just photographs, but lots of them! I am posting all of them here because lots of people have already been asking me to show them a glimpse of his Golu. If the page takes too long to load, or if you don't want to go through such a long post here, you can also see the images here, on the Picasa Album.
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| I especially loved this portion... it was so realistic! |
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| The detail inside these shops was absolutely stunning!! |
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| The slum had some amazing detail... like the pots and pans stacked, the drums of water... |
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| This old woman bathing the child was beautiful! |
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| There was even a depiction of an area being redeveloped by the SRA - Slum Rehabilitation Authority! |
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| This was inside that SRA compound... old building being torn down! |
And here is the main golu....
Besides all this, there was the usual village scene too!!!
And finally, here are the creators!!
They are so enthusiastic and creative, even at this age, they are surely an inspiration for all of us!!!
I have written about them before, and posted photos of their golus earlier... in 2013 and 2012, and if you want to come and see their work, it will be up till a couple of days after Dusshera. Please contact me and I can either take you there or give you their contact number. They are only too happy to have people come and see their Golu since hardly anyone is putting up one these days.
Wow, as always so creative golu.. Can I visit them today? I have the contact details u had given me last year, will inform them before reaching.
ReplyDeleteYes, Meghana, you can. Just call them up so they can tell you when they are free.
DeleteSure Anu, will do that. Thanks.. :)
Deletewow! that's brilliant as always!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant.. .outstanding. I have no words. Speechless. Cannot imagine how much time and effort spent to make this work. Kids will definitely love them... not only only kids, everyone would luv to see it.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable talent .....Thanks Anuradha for sharing this on your blog. My mother was delighted to see it all. She conveys her wishes to swamy mama and prays for his good health and many more such creations from him .
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