Constitution-themed dolls to be put on display for Gandhi Jayanti in Gombe Habba season

Celebrate Gandhi Jayanti with a Constitution-themed doll collection at NGMA showcasing Indian history and diverse traditions.

On this Gandhi Jayanti, the National Gallery of Modern Arts would display a Constitution-themed doll collection featuring dolls of prominent personalities from Indian history. 

The exhibition organised by Reclaim Constitution, a collective of people working towards improving Constitutional Literacy among the public, aims to showcase dolls that depict the 22 artworks in the Indian Constitution this year. 

The display that coincides with the Dasara season would have the dolls arranged in the ‘Gombe Habba’ style although the exhibition is not directly linked to the festival.

“There are 22 different artworks in the Indian Constitution featuring portraits of Gandhi, Tipu Sultan, Akbar, scenes from Ramayana, Mahabharata, lives of Budhha, Jhansi Rani, Mahavira, and so on. We are asking people to send in dolls related to these. We hope we’ll be able to get all of them,” says Vinay Kumar from Reclaim Constitution. 

According to Mr. Kumar, the idea is to showcase India’s secular and syncretic tradition. “The dolls are sourced from several people. We have a small collection now. But we have also put out a call to people to lend their dolls,” Mr. Kumar says. 

The constitution dolls were handmade by artists Gireesh, Nanda Gireesh, and Fastin Pedros from Chitrakala Parishat. One of the major attractions of the collection is the 15-woman doll set featuring ‘Founding Mothers of the Constitution.’

Although the central theme is the Constitution, the display welcomes all types of miniature dolls from the public. The exhibition also has a link to the ongoing Haripura panels exhibition at NGMA- Bangalore.