Namma Mane Habba!

When I was canvassing actively for Dasara Bombe Habba pictures, my best friend from school reached out to me on Facebook and asked 

"I wish I could send in something Suppi! But we don't have bombe tradition in our home. I'm itching to write something from a rather different angle but related though, just not sure...would you accept it? "

I said "Why not?", because what is celebration, if not personalization? Adding a little bit of yourself to the ceremony, to make the tradition more meaningful, more real. I was so moved by Divya, my friend's entry, which touches your heart and takes you around the world, that I decided to dedicate a post in itself for it! 

Here goes! Listen to Divya share about "Namma Mane Habba" (The Festival in our Home!)

Love, Supriya

Many of my Dasara holidays were spent at my grandparents' hometown, Mangaluru. It was a different bombe tradition, so to speak, where things came alive! The absence of the traditional bombe arrangement was made up by the 'huli vesha' - an age old traditional, regional dance form where men paint themselves in the familiar vibrant stripes of the tiger and dance to hypnotising drum beats. I remember watching the dancers dancing around in circles in the open verandah or 'angala' in front of the huge ancestral home.

Back in Bengaluru, we didn't have the tradition of bombe arrangement. But that didn't lessen my spirits during the festivities. We little girls would get all dolled up and visit neighbours and 'ooh' and 'aah' at every display and leave content with all the yummy treats we were offered.

After I married and became part of the Tam-Brahm community, I was introduced to 'Golu'. Again, although my in laws' home does not have the tradition of Golu, it still stayed on in the form of visiting friends and family who followed it. The new daughter-in-law was softly urged to sing for the divine Devi and I would go red faced, trying to recollect something from what my mum had taught me years ago :)

Now, here in Australia, we haven't started anything new. Yet. I'm not sure if we will do an actual Golu, though the idea tempts me. I'm sure it's a wonderful way of getting my kids excited and interested. A beautiful concept to keep our culture alive.

For now, I'm blessed with my little, real-life doll, Sia, who came into our lives on the first night of Navaratri. This year, I dressed her up!

Happy Navarathri,

Love,
Divya