For the last few years, a marriage between a pair of dolls is being organised here to revive and promote the lost indigenous lacquer art. This year Baleswari Kala Kendra (BKK) in association with people from different fields will hold the fest with equal gusto.
The pair of dolls, bride and bride groom, which will marry, have already been made by one self help group (SHG). The lagna for the wedding was fixed on Sunday evening in the Kanka Durga temple at Sunhat here.
Besides, the Bara and Kaniya Kartas (parents of the bride and bride groom), as per the customs, were chosen from among several enthusiastic gentlemen and their ladies. Former senior IAS officer Rabinarayan Das offered to don the mantle of the groom’s father. He, along with family members, went to the Siddhi Binayak temple for the ceremonial fixation of lagna. It was decided that the marriage would be held on June 5, while on June 8, the reception would he held at the Town Hall.
For the construction of the lacquer dolls, measuring around more than one and a half feet high, while the soil was brought from the river Ganga, sacred water from various other rivers too were brought and used for the purpose. Further the Agyan Mala would be brought from the Jagannath Temple of Puri on the previous day of the marriage, informed BKK director Kesu Das.
While every year, the nomenclature of dolls was based on mythology and local culture and tradition, this year the name of the bride groom and bride are Achutya and Mallika, he added.
“The marriage for the pair of dolls was considered as auspicious in older days. With loss of artisan value for lacquer works, interest for this kind of marriage was lost.
The doll’s marriage, which is an affort to revive the art, has been gaining more and more popularity with each passing year. This year, the invitation cards for the marriage have already been printed and sent,” informed Das.
The lagna Dhara was attended by Subasini Jena, Gauranga Panigrahi, Madanmohan Das, Dinabandhu Acharya, Mahesh Das, NB Das, Sanjay Acharya, Ramchandra Samantray, Bramhanath Rath, Byamonath Rath, Adhip Das and Natagopal Panda, among others.