CHENNAI: As children, growing up in this part of the country meant ten days of holidays after quarterly exams for Navaratri. But these ten days would be packed with activities, nothing similar to the summer holidays where we would spend all the time out in the sun playing innumerable games. Come September-October, pattu pavadais would be removed, we would get to play dress-up, and go kolu hopping in the neighbourhood, collecting sundals and thambulams.
Kolu in Tamil Nadu has always been a community affair. In apartments with multiple flats, residents would throng the houses that follow this tradition, with or without invitation. The keepers of kolu didn’t mind either.
Now, the same spirit is seen in the events organised by communities from other parts of India settled in Chennai, as their traditions are being embraced with open arms — be it donning colourful ghagras to play Garba, or opting for cotton saris to attend Durga Pujo. The auspicious nine days of the year, Navaratri is celebrated across the country in many different forms. The Gujaratis celebrate each day by worshipping the nine forms of the mother goddess (Durga), the Bengalis bring Durga idols to their homes on the sixth day signifying the “homecoming” of Durga with her children, the Tamilians pray to Saraswati for knowledge, Lakshmi for wealth and Durga to clear the impurities of the mind, and the north of India celebrates the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana.
While the reason for and way of celebrating t.
