Eco-Friendly Gombegalu Display by Students at The Green School

Bengaluru: Come Navratri and Dussehra time, and most traditional households in Karnataka get ready for the age-old Gombegalu (doll) display in their homes. Gombegalu during Dussehra festival, renowned for its artistic display of intricately crafted dolls arranged on steps, symbolizes the celebration of life and the triumph of good over evil.

The students of The Green School Bangalore, India's first zero waste school, decided to celebrate the Gombegalu display at their school in a unique way. Young students of TGSB painstakingly created dolls by hand using recycled materials and waste collected for the last few months. The students had collected coconut shells, cardboard, dried flowers, carton rolls, old fabrics, clay, ice cream sticks, decorative pearls and many other things from their neighbourhood homes and made beautiful, meaningful dolls. This eco-friendly initiative not only showcased the ingenuity of young minds but also served as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of South India.

"Students of class 3 to 9 in our school have been collecting waste plastic bottles, coconut shells, milk bottles etc. for the past few months from their neighbourhood. Then each student has been crafting unique mythological dolls and everyday characters out of these waste materials," apprised Ms. Usha Iyer, Founder & Principal, The Green School Bangalore (TGSB).

Each doll, whether depicting mythological figures or everyday characters, brought a unique narrative to the display. This storytelling through art imbued the exhibit with rich folkloric elements, while the use of waste materials underscored the importance of sustainability—a poignant reminder of contemporary environmental challenges.

One can see a Ravana with 10 heads crafted from waste plywood and rubber. There are dolls depicting Seeta, Rama, Laxmana, Hanuman and classical dancers made from plastic water bottles, also Vishnu on Sheshnag, baby Krishna and even musical instruments crafted out of coconut shells.