Navarathri or 9 holy days is a Hindu festival celebrated in
several parts of India in the fall. There are actually 2 navarathri’s, one
vasanth (spring, which is 3 days long and celebrated mostly in North India) and
one Sharad(which is 9 days long and celebrated all over India). In my home
state of Tamil Nadu, it is the Sharad Navarathri that is celebrated with pomp
and splendor.
Having been born in a typical Tambram household, every day
was a festival of some kind. Krithigai, chathurthi, amavasai, pournami, ekadasi
– just name it and pick a day in the lunar phase. We had a feast for it or
fasted around it. But the fervor of festival season really kicked off after
Varalakshmi Viratham. Soon followed by Aavani Avittam and then on the 8th
day past Aavani avittam came Gokulashtami. Gokulashtami was followed by
Vinayaka Chathurthi and then came Navarathri.
Mahlaya Bhaksham (the 14 day lunar phase before the new
moon, Mahlaya Amavasai) was reserved for special memorial rites for the dear
departed forebears. Mahlaya Amavasai was a big day where most households would
be rigging padis or constructing them from pretty much what was available at
home. That is the day you put the wooden Marapachi dolls first and then start
the Golu. Depending on your interests and your ability, skills and financial
status, it would be a 3 step, 5 step, 7 step or 9 step Golu. Golu, for lack of
a better description, is an exhibition of dolls.
As a child we celebrated everything, but not the Golu. We
still has extensive celebrations for Saraswathi puja, ayudha puja and vijaya dasami
– but no Golu!!! It used to bum me no end when I was child. When I asked why, I
was told “aagi varaadhu”. Meaning sometime in the distant past somebody in my
family had a golu and some mishap happened – so it was banned for generations
after. My Chellammal patti even had a trunk full of dolls – but we never “kept”
the Golu. But we did follow tradition and invited folks over to our house ever
year for Saraswathi Puja.
My first memory of Golu was at Nirupama’s house (Kamakshi
aunty’s house). They had a Golu and we got invited. Invitations those days were
personal. The women will come to your house and “azhaikaradhu” or inviting was
a ritual too. They will come home with the vermillion in an ornate box (kumkuma
chimizh) and offer it to the ladies in the house they were visiting and say
“Enga atthula golu vechurukkom – vethalai paakku vaangikka kandiappa varanum”.
We have Golu in our house, please come and accept our gifts. Then the ladies
will promise to come one of the 9 days and the children of the house will be
overjoyed and salivating over promise of “Sundal” – lentil/bean snacks. We
would go to their house, the kids learning Carnatic music or the moms or the
grand moms will invariably be asked, “oru paattu paadungo” – please sing a
devotional song. Then there will be multiple off-key, sometimes really good
renditions praising the Devis and the aunty will offer vethalai paaku, couple
of small bananas, sometimes maybe a blouse piece and then everybody will get
sundal wrapped in yesterday’s newspaper and we will all go home and eat it or
finish it on the way. You can get up to 5 or more sundal packets in a day
depending on how many invitations you got. Some kids would dress up in a variety of
costumes – usually like the Hindu gods and goddesses. Kind of like Halloween,
but sans the horror.
On another day we would go to Vasantha akka’s house (her mom
was patti’s friend). Some of those days we will make the long trek to Vaishnavi
Devi Temple in Vaishnavi Nagar (oh yeah, I am a namesake) for the different
beautiful alankarams(adorning the goddess) and yes, more sundal. Mostly in my
years at Avadi, I was invited to these Golus on relative merit. These were
friends of Paatti or Amma. For the first time, I was invited to a friend’s house
for Golu on my own merit. These 2 girls used to learn music with me and I was a
direct invitee. Yay me!!!
Then we moved to Vaishnavi Nagar for a brief year. There I
befriended one of the nicest girls ever – Sudha. Sudha’s real name was Narayani
and she was Sundari aunty’s daughter. She was a few years older than me, but
kind of took me under her wing. So at Vaishnavi Nagar, it was Golus at Sudha’s
house, Revathy mami’s house, Lakshmi mami’s house…lot more Golus, lot more
sundal. And then at around 8 p.m, Sudha and
I will go to the Vaishnavi temple and have fun. When we moved away from
Vaishnavi Nagar and to Ambattur, I cried hard for over a week because we moved
away from her. She still came to visit me once in a while. We still wish each
other for our birthdays. She still likes my posts on FB. My dear friend Sudha.
At Ambattur, there were several invites from friends and
relatives and the merriment of Navarathri continued. We had a neighbor – they did
not socialize much other than Navarathri. So we were invited to their home all
9 days. What fun!!! Then I got married and I had heard that my Chaya manni “kept”
the Golu. So I was so thrilled I would get to do it too. Only I moved to the US
within one year of my marriage and totally missed the entire Golu season there.
She still has a fabulous Golu every year.
Moving to the US and settling down took a couple of years
and bingo, we had Vikasini. That is when I resolved, I will start the Golu
tradition. That is the beauty of Indian marriages – you can do what was
forbidden in your house if it is not forbidden at your in-laws. Long live Hindu
customsJ. In
the year 2001, I started my own Golu. It went from a 3 step rigged step Golu to
my current 7 step professional version.
Why do I think the then Navarathris were green:
1.
We did not drive to our friends’ houses. We
walked everywhere. No gasoline, no increased carbon footprint, cleaner
environment, folks were more fit.
2.
We invited people in person. Another reason to
visit, another reason to meet friends, another reason for (1). No phone calls,
no email invites, no evites - a nice personal visit and a personal invitation.
3.
Sundal was wrapped in yesterday’s ‘The Hindu” or
“The Indian Express” or “thonnai” - no Ziploc bags, fancy containers or
disposable plastic ware.
4.
Every gift exchanged was totally bio-degradable
(Betel leaves, nuts, bananas).
5.
There was no waste of food – people did not get
invited or invite others for fancy dinners. It was good old sundal and vethalai
paakku.
6.
There was no need to provide platforms for our
children to showcase their talents – it was provided in households. Get the
theme – no more waste of time, effort or resources.
I love this time of the year. I love meeting friends every
night, socializing, dressing up, catching up, eating sundal, dinner… the whole
nine yards that makes Navarathri so special. What I do miss are the nine-yard
draped mamis literally making you sing for your supper J I love Navarathri in the US.
But I so miss the Navarathris of the past.
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