Doll exhibition at Garuda Mall

 Dear friends ,

Dolls fest

              I would like to share my wonderful experience of participating in the doll fest held at Garuda Mall , Bengaluru on October 9th 2023. 

There was around 1008 dolls of  gods and goddess planned for the doll fes, which had dolls of all type like Quilling, Clay, Fabric, etc ... . I had taken the responsibility of making Quilling dolls representing the Twelve Rashi Devatas with their vahans (animal/bird vehicles) , it took me more than a month to complete the set , first I had to get all the images of devatas with their respective vahans , get the material and started work on them, more than devatas making their vahans was a challenge like I had to make around 15 Horses , lions , Crow, Deer and Rams , Finally got everything on time :) 

 I had packed all my Rashi devata dolls which were to be displayed at the Mall. I went on 8th evening to arrange my dolls. It was raining heavily in the evening and husband was not willing to travel,  but somehow I managed to nudge him and reached the venue. The venue was on the ground floor.. At the centre ,  a big place was allocated with the golu stands neatly arranged. The doll stands were partitioned with the names of gods & goddess for easy identification and avoiding any crowding. I saw my dolls nameboard ( Rashi Devata ) on the left side. Some Gods and Goddessess dolls  were already displayed . It was looking so nice. 

All the participants were busy arranging their beautiful creations. Some of my friends came from Chennai , Hyderabad . I started arranging my dolls. Two steps were assigned to my dolls. So I kept 6 on each step. I had made dolls of the 12 Rashi Devatas which include:

1.  Mesha Rashi Devata 
2. Vrishabha Rashi Devata
3. Mithuna Rashi Devata
4. Karka Rashi Devata
5. Simha Rashi Devata
6. Dhanur Rashi Devata
7. Tula Rashi Devata
8. Vrichika Rashi Devata
9. Makar Rashi Devata
10. Kumbha Rashi Devata
11. Kanya Rashi Devata
12. Meena Rashi Devata

After arranging my dolls , I stayed for some time and helped others, before  returning to home.  The next day morning we had to be at the venue by 8 A M . 

As requested by our admin Mrs Roopa Sanjay , I had to keep my 2ft tall Quilling Ganesha for the event. On 9th morning , I got ready , packed my Ganesha and left for the event. I was very scared to take my Ganesha for the event. But by Lord Ganesha's blessings , the idol was taken safely and placed properly on a table. 

All the Gods and Goddessess dolls were arranged beautifully. It was a very nice view. All types of handmade dolls were displayed. It was a blessing to see more than 1000 gods and goddess under one roof. 

I took some photos and videos . Our admin explained the rules. The Ganesha was decorated with flowers. All arrangements were ready for the inauguration. The adjudicator arrived  followed by lighting the lamp , song and pooja. I felt so happy to see my Quilling Ganesha placed on an auspicious occasion and pooja was done for my Ganesha. The adjudicator spoke a few words and the inspection started. We were supposed to be present near our dolls when the adjudicator arrived. It went on well , I showed my Rashi Devatas and also mentioned about my Quilling 2 ft Ganesha. We were told to wait. 

They announced that we had achieved " India book of records " and "Asia book of records " for title - Maximum  handcrafted replicas of deities in a single display . 

We all were overwhelmed and happy . There were so many happy faces seen celebrating the joy.  It was a proud moment for us. We will receive our certificates and medals shortly. 

Some media and press people also arrived to cover the event. We took a photo with our dolls , some group photos as well .  Many people were unaware of Quilling , some of us explained about it. The event got over around 2pm and we returned home tired and exhausted. 

I would express my special thanks to my family members who helped and supported me throughout the journey.