Marapachi Bommai

Story

chapter-1. Golu festival

   I was just ten years old. I was an active and studious boy. Our family was a traditional agricultural family. We were lived in an old tiled house, and it was nearly one hundred and fifty years old. In our remote village, the harvest festival Pongal was celebrated for four days traditionally. The first day of Pongal was Bhogi Pandigai, which was celebrated in honour of Lord Indra, the god of rains and clouds.

   Our family was a big joint family. There were twenty family members. There was no limit for love, affection and fun in our family. And the family members were very busy in cleaning the old house on Bhogi. The old house was too big to clean. So we shared the house into few parts and cleaned them. I was given to clean our grandma's small bed room. While I was. cleaning the room. I found a large wooden box. I was very curious to know about the things that were kept in the wooden box. 

   I rushed towards our grandma and enquired her what were the things that were kept in the wooden box. Our grandma replied that the box consisted of ancient dolls which were displayed during the golu festival. My brothers and sisters were very much interested to see the ancient dolls. I asked our grandma to open the box and show the dolls. Our grandma replied that she would show the dolls only on Kanum Pongal, the final day of the four day Pongal Festival.

   I lingered for the opportunity. All the Pongals were celebrated in our house traditionally. Before the Pongal festivals, the house was cleaned and painted with lime. The house was designed to celebrate all the Hindu festivals. It had three large court yards. The golu festival was held in the first courtyard. The Pongal and the Kanum Pongals were held in the second and third courtyards respectively.

   That year the harvest of paddy was very good. Kanum Pongal was celebrated in a grand manner. Most of the unmarried girls of our village assembled in our house. And they prepared tamarind rice, curd rice and black channa sundal. They worship the family god and feasted the variety of rice in the banana leaves. In the evening, the most ancient dances Kummi and Kolattam were performed by them. Then they got the blessings from our grandma and mother and left the house.

   I thought that the expected opportunity had come. I went near our grandma and requested her to open the box and show the dolls. After some time, she went near the wooden box. In the meantime, my brothers and sisters crowded the wooden box. Then our grandma opened the box slowly. In the wooden box, there were so many beautiful, coloured clay dolls and they were covered with clothes. In an instant, we. removed the clothes and saw the dolls eagerly. The vegetables merchants, dancing girls, small cart, Kamadhenu, Goddesses, Dancing Shiva, the various avatars of Vishnu, Ganesa, Murugan, Wild animals, Domestic animals, Birds and Thanjavur dancing golu dolls were found.

   Those dolls were made more than two hundred years ago. And they were not faded and they were in good condition too. We were astonished to see the dolls. Our grandma said that those dolls were not bought in a single year and place. And they were the collection of different years and places. The Lingam doll was bought in Rameshwaram and the Murugan doll was bought in Palani hills. The Perumal dolls and the dancing golu dolls were bought in Srirangam and Thanjavur respectively.

   

   She also said that each and every doll had its own story and history. She told that her friend Patthana, a brahmin woman has bought the domestic animals and birds dolls in North India while she was going to Kasi yatra. She encouraged her to set up golu in our house in the first courtyard particularly in the eastern direction. The courtyard’s out let was closed and filled with water. Red, blue, white lilis, frogs, crabs and various colour fish were put into the water. There were ten golu steps were installed. The traditional golu dolls were displayed in the golu steps.

   During the navaratri festival Patthara visited our house for the nine auspicious days. And she was the main pillar of the golu festival. She sang a song about the goddess Durga during the festival. Though she was a brahmin woman she feasted battalion with our village girls. She paved way for the integration of the village women. All the village women thanked her for her valuable presence in the golu festival.

   Then our grandma continued to say about the dolls. We took more care and kept them for so many years without any damage in the old tiled house which was affected by natural calamities frequently. She also said if a doll had broken, it had had lost its original value. She added that the broken dolls were would not be kept in the house and they would be put into the following river water. She further said that the golu dolls were taken and kept in the wooden box after the poojas were performed. Further more she said that there were certain traditional rules for conducting the golu in the house too.

Chapter 2 - Marapachi Bommai

   I also noticed a small decorated teak wooden box in the large wooden box. I asked my grandma to show the dolls that were kept in the small wooden box. Our grandma opened the small wooden box. Inside the box, there were two Marapachi dolls. And they were safely covered with old Silk blue saree. Our grandma refused us even to touch the dolls. I asked her about the traditional dolls. She said that she would tell about the dolls and their story in the evening. Then she covered the dolls with the silk saree and kept them carefully in the small wooden box.

   My sisters and brothers were talked about the red traditional dolls to their friends throughout the day. I waited for that golden evening eagerly. My mother lit the lamps in the house and pooja room. That was the indication of the evening. We surrounded our grandma, and asked her to tell about the Marapachi dolls. She asked my elder sister to bring the betal leaf box. My sister brought it along with the grass mat immediately. My sisters and brothers were ready to do any work which was assigned by our grandma at that time. Our grandma sat on the grass mat and we were also sat around her. No wonder our heads were touched with the others heads. We were very much interested to hear about the dolls from her old shivering voice.

   She said that those dolls were bought by her great grand mother at Tripathi, the land of Lord Venkateswara. The Marapachi dolls were specifically made up of red Sandal wood. The red sandal wood was only available in the Andhra forest particularly in Tripathi hills. Those dolls were displayed during the golu festival in our house as part of navaratri. Those male and female dolls were dressed as Raja and Rani Costumes. The vintage dolls were played an important role in our Tamilian culture and rituals.

     

   The Raja and Rani dolls were displayed in the first step of the golu very near to the god Ganesha doll during the golu festival in our house. Navaratri was the festive display of dolls in Tamilnadu during the autumn festive season particularly around Navaratri festival, the nine auspicious nights. Those dolls were a legacy passed on from one generation to another in our house She also said that the sixth generation was going on. 

   Marapachi dolls were given to the first grandson or daughter traditionally. Those dolls enhanced the social and emotional development of the children particularly the female children. She continued that we kept the dolls carefully for the future generation. And she brushed down the dolls with dry cloth during the navaratri festival. She asked us to preserve the old traditional golu dolls for the betterment of the future generation.

   I asked our grandma to give a doll to me hesitatingly. she replied that your elder brother was the first grandson of that present family. If he had given permission I would have given a doll for you, she said politely. No sooner I urged my elder brother to give a doll for me in future. At last my elder brother accepted to give a female doll for me. I was very much satisfied at that moment.

   Days were rolled our grandma had become sick and very weak. When she was in death bed she asked my elder brother to bring the small decorated wooden box. She opened the wooden box with her shivering hands and took the male doll. She gave it to my elder brother. Then she took the female doll and gave it to me. I was very much delighted to receive the doll and became one of the joyest persons in the world. She also requested me that the female doll would be given to mydaughter in future. I also promised her to give the doll to my daughter as per her words. After some days, our grandma passed away. We cried and shed tears.

Chapter. 3. The teddy bear toy

   Twenty years had gone after the death of our grandma. I got married and my wife had given birth to a female baby. She had grown up well. Most of my relatives said that she was resembling my grandma. I thought that our grandma was reborn in our family. When my daughter was studying first standard I had given the Marapachi female doll to her. It was nearly one feet height and very heavy. She was not able to take the doll and play. I said to her that the doll was given to you by your great grandmother. She was very much wondered to hear my words. I was fully satisfied to keep the promise which was given to our grandma. 

       

   My daughter kept the Marapachi doll in the show case and requested me to buy and give a teddy bear toy. I bought a three feet red teddy bear toy and presented her on her birth day. She roamed here and there in the house with the toy like a little angel. She talked to the toy when she was in good and sad moods. She kept the toy in her bed while she was sleeping. When She was studying in school and college, she took the doll and kept it in her hostel room. She said that the toy would remove her fear, stress and loneliness. It made her to feel like in the home. Soon she became an arctophile.

   Now she is working in a big multinational company in Chennai as a H.R. Her age is thirty and she is having a teddy bear toy. Though her friends are ridiculing her act she does not worry about it. She is fond of having lovely toys. She is loving all living visible souls too. She says that toys enhance self - confident and stimulate creativity. I never say no to her golden words and I have seen her the incarnation of my grandma.