Put a quirky twist to your decor

Protector of your house or decor item? The dolls that adorn terraces can not only be used to ward off the ‘evil eye’ but also as a work of art in homes. Vatsala Gurunath gives the dolls a makeover.

Try imagining an album of colourful pictures from the now famed ‘Incredible India’. Leaf through the album and what are the pictures that you see? The Taj Mahal, elephants, Mysore Palace, backwaters of Kerala, Khajuraho, Kathakali dancers and what not. But is that all? Chances are that you also see a blood-red demonic face with horns, smiling at you with a menacing glee. Yes! I am talking about the dolls that protect us from the evil eye, the Drishti gombe. Unique to India, this cultural totem is a fixture you cannot miss go north or south, across the length and breadth of the country. These dolls are a classic example of a decorative culture that is steeped in a long and persistent tradition laced with mythology and religion.

Not something that could have a discovery date, the custom of hanging a Drishti gombe is centuries old and has been passed on from generation to generation with almost no variations. The Drishti gombe or doll that wards off the evil eye has the sole purpose of protecting the owner from misfortune and jealous onlookers. The familiar face is visible on house terraces and construction sites, and painted on pumpkins, clay pots and on almost every truck, lorry and autorickshaw in varying styles.

So where did these originate from and what is the story behind their emergence? A cultural reference in southern India is that of the Hindu god Ugra Narasimha – the lion-headed deity with a human body. It is believed that Narasimha destroys demons and wards off evil. These dolls are supposedly a spin-off from the popular tale of Narasimha killing the demon Hiranyakashipu. However, similar anti-demonic masks and dolls are common in the other parts of the country like Orissa and West Bengal. There is no single source or legend that can be attributed to these masks.

These dolls have found their way in popular folklore too and are part of much-loved tales like that of the Tenali Ramakrishna. The story goes that a rebuked Tenali Rama who was asked to never show his face to the king, covered his face in a clay pot which was painted and used as a Drishti gombe and presented himself at the king’s court! A cultural fixture from generations, these dolls are embedded in our collective identity.

The dolls are handmade using clay and baked in a kiln or made by pouring Plaster of Paris (PoP) into a mould and painted fearsome with black, red and yellow. Potters who make clay pots and figurines are the ones who make these clay and PoP masks. The dolls are also painted on clay pots, graphite slates, walls and even on pumpkins or gourds. The most popular and often sighted dolls today are those visible on the rear side of heavy-load vehicles on highways. They usually are accompanied by witty or funny statements mocking the ‘imaginary’ evil eye such as this one in Hindi — boori nazar waale tera moonh kaala! (evil-eyed person, may your face be smeared with the colour black!).
Unfortunately, in these modern times, with the influence of foreign culture in the form of Feng Shui, African amulets and Arabic charms, the Drishti gombe is fast becoming a thing of the past.

When approached and asked about the declining visibility of these Dristi gombes, Santosh, a potter in Thyagarajnagar, Bangalore, says that there is no longer a demand for these.

“These are no longer a fast-moving item. We keep them on display just to let any passer-by or customer know that they are available. Only one or two are sold in a month, maybe because now everybody lives in flats and not houses of their own.”

In a rising metropolis where flats are the norm and individual owners do not even have access to a separate terrace, there is very little space or inclination to bring home these dolls. A renowned architect with projects in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, is of the opinion that space is not the only reason we no longer see them at every terrace or balcony.

Aesthetics plays a big factor too. According to the architect, people want beautiful and charming things at home today. While the sentiment of warding off the ‘evil eye’ is still prevalent, a small printed sticker of such a totem is considered sufficient to do the trick rather than display a big demonic mask.

Today, people are more aware of every cultural ritual from across the world and have them incorporated to ensure a safe, happy and prosperous home but aesthetics play the deciding factor. Maybe it’s  time to give the Drishti gombe an image makeover and match pace with the changing times.

You can give them a quirky twist and use them to add colour and uniqueness to your home décor. It would be ironical to use this totem to invite appreciative glances when its primary function is to ward off glares.

Here are a few quirky ways to bring home the Drishti gombe and make it part of your modern home. Request the potter or artisan to seal the bottom and make a wide opening at the back. The Drishti gombe could now be used as a newspaper holder or a mail holder. Similarly, when sealed with a small opening, it could be turned into a fantastic pen stand for your desk. Use it as a vase for dry flowers to bring colour to a dull table.

You can also use it to hold indoor plants like a tiny cactus. Hang it on the wall amidst your collection of international masks and watch them gleam! Another option is to let it stand on a stick in your garden to ward off pesky birds. A little unconventional thought process could make these waning-in-popularity dolls the new in-thing of the décor world.