Everybody is well-versed with Navratri, but the festival also has a southern shade known as Golu Bommai. In a crux, this traditional transformation is all about placing figurines of living legends, deities, among others placed in a hierarchical form on a structure known as Golu. All the Golu dolls, as these figurines are commonly known, are placed on separate levels forming an odd-numbered tier ranging from three to eleven. Each layer signifies something different, while the topmost layer is reserved for the idols of deities.
At Hema Kannan's house, the set of Lord Ram's birth is the new addition to her nine-tier Golu. As the Navratri festival is celebrated, south Indian families make it a point to have Golu Dolls at home. The idea is to mark the festival signifying the victory of good over evil, while also educating children about the tradition.
“Golu is like the Ganpati festival. It has been passed on from generations. I have been installing Golu for the past 33 years. It's a sort of education you want to impart to children about the divine, living heroes and customs around that you live with,” said Kannan.
At Velli Kumar's Chembur home, Golu tier starts with 'nau dhanyam' which is a sort of rangoli made from nine different grains. “In each household, people have a different way of arranging things. I put kalash with water, mango leaves and coconut at the top," said Kumar. After 'nau dhanyam', the Golu structure has different tiers with mirror, comb, utensils, living legends, Dashavataram, Marpachi, nine forms of Goddess Durga, Lord Shiva and his family, among others.
Another devotee Kausalya Narayanan's installs three-level Golu during Amawasya. “During this period, women come home and haldi-kumkum is shared and bhajans are sung. We do this with everyone. There are no barriers at least in my house,” boasted Kausalya.
The Matunga-based Giri Stores sells special Golu stalls that have various forms of dolls. “The Marachi is the most important. It's made of rosewood and kept first,” said store staffer Anthony Ammal. Interestingly, there are service providers who give Golu structures on rent. The option is viable for elderly who brim with devotion but lack physical strength. Narrating a similar experience, retired man Ganesh Sundaram said, “In my case, due to age and convenience, we have Golus on rent. In Mumbai, you don't have the space and no one is there to dismantle the stairs and keep the dolls back after Golu. So, it becomes difficult.”
Iyer Sivaraman Sharma, who provides such a rental service, said, “We primarily get orders from old people who want to celebrate the festival but can't do that on their own. At a charge, we drop and then take it back. Unlike the clay figurines, these can be easily cleaned and also the steps get easily dismantled.”
