Gripped with nostalgia of Green Navarathris

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 8^th 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.