"Festivals are so much fun", thought Sunidhi. She was already very excited – not even a month past Ganesh Chaturti and nearly a month prior to Diwali was Navratri – her favourite festival. Can you guess why?
No, it was not because girls felt extra special on the days of this festival since they were supposed to visit as many houses where the dolls would be exhibited and they would be given yummy goodies to eat.
It was not even because she got to see beautifully dressed girls and traditionally clad boys dancing the Garba and Dandiya in the ground in their neighbourhood in the evenings. But because it marked a week out for the hundreds of beautiful dolls that lay packed in the big iron trunks in the spare room upstairs. Ajji kept the trunks and room locked as she could not risk the children 'toying' with her precious collection.
Oh! How much Sunidhi loved those dolls. Their carpenter was already putting up the wooden steps where they would be placed. The top step was reserved for the celestial beings. Gods and Goddesses would stand or sit majestically, literally looking over the other 'mortal' beings on the lower steps.
There would be a snow-clad mountain made cotton wool for Lord Shiva and his family, a pot of thermacol butter beside a crawling baby Krishna, Hanuman in the flying position with a mountain on his palm, a reclining Vishnu with Lakshmi in tow and the foursome – handsome Rama, pretty Sita, smart Lakshmana and a kneeling Hanuman.
The next step would have small painted, clay and mud idols of some kings and queens with shiny crowns and jewelry. The third step would be adorned with colourful wooden toys from Chanapatna – a town so famous for manufacturing them.
Sunidhi knew what interested most visitors. On one side would be a village scene – complete with thatched houses, trees, a well, oxen pulling a plough and dolls who looked like farmers and villagers. Another of Sunidhi's favourites was the pot-bellied, bald shopkeeper with grains and groceries in tiny sacks around him and a real measuring scale in his hand. He looked as if he ate most of the stock himself!
On the eve of the first day of the festival, when her uncles, aunts, parents and cousins were busy decorating the place, Sunidhi came out with her carton of toys. She toppled it and out came tumbling – her Barbie doll, teddy bear, Cindy doll, Noddy and other stuffed toys. "Ajji", she yelled for attention, "I want these to be a part of the festival too." Everyone stared silently at her. And when they realized how serious Sunidhi was, they burst out laughing.
Her cousin Harish was the first to respond, "These are not Indian toys, Silly. How can you display them for Dussehra".
"So? asked Sunidhi, immediately. "They too belong to our family and are very much Indian now. So what if they are not of Indian origin? I'm sure they were made here."
Again there was a burst of laughter from everyone. Nina her older sister said in an irritated tone, "These will look out of place, Sunidhi. They won't fit in here with this collection. Go and put them away right now and don't disturb us."
Voted out completely, Sunidhi picked up her toys very sadly. Everyone continued with their jobs murmuring amusedly, but Ajji noticed a big, fat tear roll down Sunidhi's cheek and drop right under her small teddy bear's eye. It seemed to share Sunidhi's grief. Ajji's heart went out to the little hurt girl and she decided to cheer her up somehow.
On the final day of Navratri, on Dussehra, there were more guests than on all the days put together. All the kids of the neighbourhood were there. And since Sunidhi's family had won the first prize for the 'Best Doll Display in the City', for the 3 rd year in succession, the crew of the local TV channel were also there. After the dolls were shot by the cameras and a few family members interviewed, Ajji made an announcement.
She said that she had a big surprise for everyone. Convinced that she had everybody's attention by now, Ajji winked at Sunidhi and signaled to her. Sunidhi jumped up excitedly and ran into her room. A few seconds later, she came out pulling a trolley table that was covered with a silk cloth. She tugged at the silk cloth to uncover its contents.
Everyone gasped in wonder and delight! Her Barbie doll was wearing a saree, a bindi and flowers in her hair that was tied in a neat bun and Cindy was wearing a long silk skirt and blouse. Teddy looked smart in a typical Karnataka turban, Noddy had a dhoti on and the other stuffed toys had khadi caps or kurtas. All of them looked so different in ethnic attires.
After the euphoria had toned down a bit, there was a loud, long and thunderous applause from everyone around, the TV crew quickly ran towards Sunidhi and her grandmother. Ajji very proudly regaled everyone with her story of how little Sunidhi had inspred her to 'adopt' these toys and make them a part of her traditional collection. 'Henceforth they too will join the others during Navratri", she announced. Sunidhi was beaming with joy.
