Dolls on Display: A South Indian Festival of Identity and Play Open Access
Sivakumar, Deeksha (Spring 2018)
Abstract
This dissertation is an ethnography of the festival display of dolls called BommaiGolu (literally “court of dolls”) to commemorate the south Indian domestic celebration of the nine nights of Navaratriconcluding with Vijayadashami. I describe how participants annually display materials, particularly dolls as deities, alongside mythological and life history narratives in the form of dioramas. Prosperity in the form of antiquity and abundance, continues to be a theme of this festival, a way through which participants honor the goddess’ auspicious blessings. Doll-play characterizes Bommai Golu’s ritualized style of performance, showcasing these displays as material markers of one’s identity. I argue that creating and viewing Golus is a form of reflexive doll-play, a way for participants to situate their own identities within their broader social and religious worlds. In this way, the festival remains fluid, inclusive, and appealing to participants from a variety of socio-economic classes, from traditional Brahmins, their adopted kin to Indian immigrant families to the US.
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO BOMMAI GOLU................................................................................................1
The Evolution of Bommai Golu (circa 1950-2018).................................................................................................6
Locating the Ethnographic Contexts.....................................................................................................................12
Mylapore.......................................................................................................................................................12
Sunnyvale, California....................................................................................................................................17
Locating the Players..............................................................................................................................................26
Situating this Dissertation......................................................................................................................................31
Navaratri and Bommai Golu..................................................................................................................................31
Materiality and Bommai Golu................................................................................................................................35
Chapter Divisions..................................................................................................................................................38
CHAPTER TWO: BOMMAI GOLU AS AN INHERITED TRADITION IN BRAHMIN HOMES..........................................45
Meenakshi’s Golu..................................................................................................................................................49
Mrs. Seshadri’s Golu.............................................................................................................................................62
Materials Display Inherited Caste Traditions.........................................................................................................75
Conclusion............................................................................................................................................................80
CHAPTER THREE: BOMMAI GOLU AS LEARNED TRADITION AMONG NON-BRAHMINS........................................84
Keerti as a “new-comer” to Bommai Golu...........................................................................................................87
Keerti Mingles with Mylapore Brahmins...............................................................................................................92
Meeting Sheila in Aarti’s Golu..............................................................................................................................95
Durga-Ma leads Sheila to Bommai Golu..............................................................................................................98
Sheila’s Golu........................................................................................................................................................101
Adopting Brahmin Rituals....................................................................................................................................105
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................................113
CHAPTER FOUR: BOMMAI GOLU AS A PRESERVED TRADITION BY THE MYLAPORE TRIO.................................118
Who are the Mylapore Trio?.................................................................................................................................119
Forming a Sacred Mission...................................................................................................................................122
Dressing the Part........................................................................................................................................124
Sculpting a Religious Identity......................................................................................................................127
Mylapore Trio’s Golu.............................................................................................................................................133
Memorializing Tradition – Nostalgia and Authority................................................................................................137
CHAPTER FIVE: DISPLAYING DOLLS FOR BOMMAI GOLU: ANIMATING THE GODS USING THE INANIMATE.......143
Who/What is a doll?..............................................................................................................................................145
Dolls Compared to Murtis.....................................................................................................................................147
Play and Religious Rituals.....................................................................................................................................148
Playing with Dolls..................................................................................................................................................152
Playful Devotion (Bhakti)........................................................................................................................................156
Bommai Golu as Doll-play.....................................................................................................................................163
Mimicking Motherhood.................................................................................................................................165
Imagining Spaces..........................................................................................................................................169
Golu play........................................................................................................................................................174
CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSIONS AND NEW DIRECTIONS.............................................................................................182
Bommai Golu for Hindus........................................................................................................................................185
Can Bommai Golu be Eternal?...............................................................................................................................188
BIBLIOGRAPHY...............................................................................................................................................................193
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