<p>After a dull Navarathri in 2020, Bengalureans are celebrating the festival with great enthusiasm this year. </p>.<p>The tradition of toy arrangement, which is quite popular in the old Mysuru region, has gotten some creative twists this time around, especially among youth. <span class="italic">DH</span> spoke to a section of enthusiasts about their preparations for this year’s festivities. </p>.<p>Pavan, a Srinagar resident who arranges toys on a particular theme ever year, is telling the story of how people’s lives have changed after Covid-19. </p>.<p>Among the things he’s highlighted are a professional working from home and cutting vegetables at the same time, scenes from a Covid hospital and the horror at crematoriums.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/metrolife/metrolife-your-bond-with-bengaluru/mysuru-festivities-highlight-of-dasara-doll-collections-1037754.html" target="_blank">Mysuru festivities highlight of Dasara doll collections</a></strong></p>.<p>Pavan says he’s trying to encourage people to take the Covid vaccine and return to a normal life. </p>.<p>Pavan has been arranging toys since he was in the seventh grade. “It is a way of blending creativity with our culture,” he says. </p>.<p>Pavan, who’s collected toys for years, also uses thermocol for some of his settings and gets some of them 3D-printed. </p>.<p>Eighty-year-old Tirumalachar Purohit has been arranging toys for decades now. He says it’s a beautiful and colourful way to protect India’s cultural heritage. “We are from Mysuru, and we have been carrying on this tradition for hundreds of years now,” he says. Purohit has a large treasure of toys passed down the generations, he adds.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/state/karnataka-districts/s-m-krishna-inaugurates-mysuru-dasara-2021-1038186.html" target="_blank">S M Krishna inaugurates Mysuru Dasara 2021</a></strong></p>.<p>At his house, this year’s toy arrangements include a detailed depiction of traditional Indian wedding rituals and recreations of Krishna’s life. He’s also recreated the Vishwarupa Darshan with electrical settings, he says. </p>.<p>Businesses dealing in Dasara toys and dolls are reporting higher sales compared with the last year. </p>.<p>Kumar, from Dasara Gombe Mane in Basavanagudi, said sales this year had reached 75-80 per cent of pre-Covid levels, up from 50-60 per cent in 2020.</p>.<p>“People from all over Bengaluru come to our shop to buy toys,” he said. Among the hot-selling items are toys that depict the life of Hindu deity Rama, he added.</p>.<p><strong>Check out latest DH videos here</strong></p>
<p>After a dull Navarathri in 2020, Bengalureans are celebrating the festival with great enthusiasm this year. </p>.<p>The tradition of toy arrangement, which is quite popular in the old Mysuru region, has gotten some creative twists this time around, especially among youth. <span class="italic">DH</span> spoke to a section of enthusiasts about their preparations for this year’s festivities. </p>.<p>Pavan, a Srinagar resident who arranges toys on a particular theme ever year, is telling the story of how people’s lives have changed after Covid-19. </p>.<p>Among the things he’s highlighted are a professional working from home and cutting vegetables at the same time, scenes from a Covid hospital and the horror at crematoriums.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/metrolife/metrolife-your-bond-with-bengaluru/mysuru-festivities-highlight-of-dasara-doll-collections-1037754.html" target="_blank">Mysuru festivities highlight of Dasara doll collections</a></strong></p>.<p>Pavan says he’s trying to encourage people to take the Covid vaccine and return to a normal life. </p>.<p>Pavan has been arranging toys since he was in the seventh grade. “It is a way of blending creativity with our culture,” he says. </p>.<p>Pavan, who’s collected toys for years, also uses thermocol for some of his settings and gets some of them 3D-printed. </p>.<p>Eighty-year-old Tirumalachar Purohit has been arranging toys for decades now. He says it’s a beautiful and colourful way to protect India’s cultural heritage. “We are from Mysuru, and we have been carrying on this tradition for hundreds of years now,” he says. Purohit has a large treasure of toys passed down the generations, he adds.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/state/karnataka-districts/s-m-krishna-inaugurates-mysuru-dasara-2021-1038186.html" target="_blank">S M Krishna inaugurates Mysuru Dasara 2021</a></strong></p>.<p>At his house, this year’s toy arrangements include a detailed depiction of traditional Indian wedding rituals and recreations of Krishna’s life. He’s also recreated the Vishwarupa Darshan with electrical settings, he says. </p>.<p>Businesses dealing in Dasara toys and dolls are reporting higher sales compared with the last year. </p>.<p>Kumar, from Dasara Gombe Mane in Basavanagudi, said sales this year had reached 75-80 per cent of pre-Covid levels, up from 50-60 per cent in 2020.</p>.<p>“People from all over Bengaluru come to our shop to buy toys,” he said. Among the hot-selling items are toys that depict the life of Hindu deity Rama, he added.</p>.<p><strong>Check out latest DH videos here</strong></p>
