When culture meets Constitutional values: South India sees a wave of unconventional, democratic Golu celebration

“Many Indians don’t realise that the Constitution of India is under threat today,” Kumar rues, sharing his concern about how history is being erased from our books. The Constitution, he points out, has artwork depicting Gandhiji’s peacemaker role at the Noakhali riots. But, in 2023, we are reluctant to admit that there are riots in Manipur, he emphasises.

“This speaks of who we are as a country and culture now,” Kumar remarks.

On 26 January 2023, Vinay Kumar started the Reclaim Constitution initiative in Bengaluru. (Supplied)

In his attempt to make people aware of the constitutional values, Kumar’s initiative has turned into a larger movement. His focus is the youth of India which has less than one per cent of representation in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Using copies of artwork from the Constitution and quotes from the Constituent Assembly debates, Kumar and his team created postcards and distributed them around the streets of Bengaluru. But realising that the effort needs to be heavily upscaled, they took a leaf from freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak’s pages of history. They adopted the route of culture and tradition to create awareness about the Constitution.

“Twenty-sixth November 2023 will be the beginning of the 75th year of the Constitution of India. We wanted to kick off the celebration starting with the Dasara dolls, which are themed around it,” he shares.

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Finding the founding mothers

Unlike most themes surrounding the Constitution that speak only of the founding fathers, Kumar was determined to showcase the contribution of the founding mothers of the Constitution.

“Fifteen women, who were part of making the Constitution are lost in the pages of history. We have also done a disservice to Dr BR Ambedkar. We need to celebrate him beyond the Constitution, be it him talking about the role of the Indian Rupee in the RBI, labour rights, etc.,” adds Kumar.

Kumar was determined to showcase the contribution of the founding mothers of the Constitution in this year’s Navaratri celebrations. (Supplied)

“Those who are born after the year 2000 will never have a chance to meet a freedom fighter. So how can you expect the youth to understand what the freedom struggle was all about,” urges Kumar, calling the Constitution the umbilical cord for future generations.

During his research, rummaging through more than 10,000 pages of history, Kumar stumbled upon the important interventions of these women. Be it the rights of minorities, fundamental rights or the topic of untouchability, the founding mothers, he details, have emphatically shared that the Constitution is of no use if it is not practised.

It was in author Achyut Chetan’s book, The Founding Mothers of the Republic, published by Cambridge University Press in 2022, where Kumar found details of these women.

“The book has an iconic group photograph featuring only 11 women. But actually, 17 women were elected to the Constituent Assembly. Two of them quit since they were rooting for Pakistan, one left to join the United Nations, one passed away and two resigned. However, it is generally accepted that there were 15 women who were part of the Constituent Assembly,” Kumar elaborates.

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Moulds of tradition

Following his research, he commissioned the artwork to artists Fastin Pedros, Girish S & Nanda Girish from Chitrakala Parishad, 15 days back.

“It’s an approximation of the photograph. In the case of other dolls — Ambedkar in his blue suit, Gandhiji with his stick, Nehru in his cap and coat — there are easy references that have become part of cultural iconography. But to get that for these 11 women was difficult,” he says.

It is his passion to bring the Constitution alive in the lives of every Indian that drives Kumar to take the message through these Golu dolls. (Supplied)

These handmade dolls were first crafted in clay and then transferred into rubber moulds. Following this, they were made into fibre resin. Once they decide to mass produce, Kumar plans to move to the paper mache method.

It is community spirit and his passion to bring the Constitution alive in the lives of every Indian that drives Kumar to take the message through these Golu dolls as locally as possible. To make this a reality, his team and he are organising community doll displays where the dolls depicting the founding mothers will be the centre of the exhibit.

Not restricted by the challenges of commuting across a traffic-heavy city, Kumar and team have collected dolls that align with the constitutional values, especially secularism, from across Bengaluru. “We have a Jesus nativity crib, a Gomteshwara, Basavanna, Buddha, the Kaaba etc.,” he adds. This will be a travelling exhibition that he intends to loan to schools and organisations. Helping him achieve this is his team of volunteers including doctors, lawyers, scientists, communication professionals, and social activists.

This year, the display will be at Jana Pada Loka, one of the oldest folklore institutes of Karnataka. “Since their central theme is 75 years of the Constitution, the display is inspired by Kuvempu’s words – ‘Sarva Janaangada Shantiya Thota’, a peaceful garden of people of all faiths,” he shares.

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Golu beyond borders

Miles away, in Tiruchy, the impact of Kumar’s endeavours is becoming evident.

The Reclaim Constitution dolls have enriched the educational journey of eight-year-old Aaranya Aroon.

Eight-year-old Aaranya from Tiruchy is now learning about the Founding Mothers of the Constitution and other important freedom fighters. (Supplied)

Every day since the beginning of the Navaratri festival, the eight-year-old, under the guidance of her mother Anu Aroon, has been posting videos detailing information on these notable figures in Tamizh.

“My husband and I are rationalists and don’t practice keeping golus. We belong to different religious backgrounds. We want our daughter to grow up in a secular and inclusive environment,” shares Aroon, a core member of Voice of People, a group of concerned citizens.

With a background in sociology, she has been a passionate advocate for social change for over 20 years now.

“We want our daughter to experience a harmonious society. We are concerned about the increasing religious polarisation in the country and the threat it poses to our secular values,” she shares.

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A culture that supports discourse

Creating the awareness of harmony was exactly the starting point in the home of T Kanthimathi, a practising advocate and dedicated social volunteer, who is celebrating a very special Navarathri this year.

It marks the 50th year since her family began the tradition of Golu celebrations. This tradition was a bit of a rebellion when it started in 1974.

Chennai-based Kanthimathi’s Golu is a visual treat, featuring postcards from Vinay and bags imprinted with the Preamble as return gifts. (Supplied)

“My mother, who didn’t belong to the community that usually practices Golu, wondered why we shouldn’t start. That’s when we began our tradition, and this year, we’re celebrating our 50th Golu!” she proudly shares while welcoming guests to her home in T Nagar, Chennai.

Every year, the family has faithfully continued this tradition, adding to their collection of dolls over time. Some of the unique pieces even have their original price tags. “Back then, they were bought for just ₹1!” she reminisces.

Each year, the family chooses a theme for their Golu display. This year, it’s Vinay’s theme – #ReclaimConstitution – that takes the spotlight at Kanthimathi’s residence.

Kanthimathi’s Golu is a visual treat, featuring postcards from Vinay and bags imprinted with the Preamble as return gifts. “We’ve had many of these dolls for years,” she points out, indicating miniature bust-sized dolls of Periyar and Ambedkar.

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A promise for the youth

Kanthimathi reflects on the fact that society often tends to remember the negative aspects while overlooking the positive ones.

Kanthimathi has also introduced her to various secular and inclusive figures like Buddha, Ambedkar, and Periyar. (Supplied)

“Issues like vendetta politics, casteism, and inequality have eroded our sense of humanity. Religion is now being discussed by 9th-grade students in school, underscoring the challenges of promoting inclusivity,” she notes. The rise of hate politics is also a concern for Kanthimathi.

Echoing a similar sentiment, Aroon has always encouraged Aaranya to voice her thoughts and opinions and engage in meaningful dialogues.

“We’ve also introduced her to various secular and inclusive figures like Buddha, Ambedkar, and Periyar. She enjoys learning about these influential personalities. She is also beginning to understand the basics of the Indian Constitution and the roles of MLAs and Rajya Sabha members,” she explains.

In her Golu, Kanthimathi not only promotes constitutional values through postcards and return gifts but also showcases various dolls. These include cobblers, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, and more.

“The goal is to represent diversity and encourage more such representations in the public sphere,” she shares.

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Persevere to preserve

The focus, Aroon says, is about engaging younger generations. “It’s an effort to preserve and pass on these values, which are important in the current social and political climate,” she explains.

Aroon’s family is trying to break away from the traditional, religious-themed Golu displays that have been the norm for years.

Dolls depicting the life of cobblers, blacksmiths, and goldsmiths find a place in Kanthimathi’s Golu display. (Supplied)

Kanthimathi too hopes to establish a common space for the community and make Golu accessible to more people.

“We recognise that there may be challenges, but we are committed to preserving this tradition. The idea of keeping a constitution golu primarily stems from Vinay, and we’re eager to promote it. The start might be modest, but it’s a meaningful beginning,” she shares.

“While Bengaluru boasts several such displays, I might be the sole organiser in Chennai. Vinay suggested we share our Golu with a wider audience,” says Kanthimathi.

She firmly believes that anything good must be consistently shared to reach people. It’s equally essential to maintain an ongoing conversation within the community about fundamental rights and the Constitution.

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