Golu and sundal days

Nine days of celebration and worshipping..not to forget the grand sundal times (snacks made out of nine different grains each day) and the endless visits to all the golus (display of dolls) in the neighbourhood....

Speaking of navarathri, all I am reminded of are - dressing up in pattu paavadai (long silk skirts), visiting each  house with kumkumam on hand and inviting all the young girls and sumangalis for thamboolam. Amma would plait my hair with sowri, kunjalam and tie around different flowers (the special hair style would be on select days, flowers on all days). She loved decking me up. When the first two days would be spent in inviting the neighbourhood and relatives, the rest of the days would be for visiting the other golus. Time to dress up in different colors, matching accessories and flowers and practising songs (the mad attempt to avoid repetition)..I would shamelessly shriek on top of my voice, naming it a carnatic krithi and get sundal and roll way back home to hit the sack, slightly later than normal days - 9 PM ! Sweets were served and sundals were given in thamboolams..this is all I knew of the food part. Amma celebrated me during those nine days. 9 different dresses, mostly new. White on Saraswathi poojai..Vijayadasami would invariably be my star birthday..so I would bag a new dress for that too..I enjoyed the adulation and celebration.

Last year, amma was here to help me with my second delivery. Incidentally, we got to celebrate the grand puja days together, once again..Wow ! this was a different experience altogether. There was more to it than I thought..:) Kolams, arranging the padis, displaying the dolls, selecting the decoration, choosing the base covering cloth and last but certainly NOT the least, planning the sundal for the next day and soaking the required material, deciding the quantity and making it in just the right taste for the audience..

I luckily inherited most of Amma's old dolls and MIL's old mud dolls (mann bommais) too. I also have a whole lot of new dolls. The collection is huge. They are all back home in safe locks in India. The version I have here is a 100th miniature of our original display in India. Still, the celebrations are high in spirits and grand in the kitchen..After putting up the small decoration, I ventured out today with the culinary offering - neivedhyam..

Day 1 :

I have made green peas (pachchai pattaani sundal). Being the first day, I also made Sakkarai pongal and ulundhu vadai...(veteran vadai makers - please understand that this IS also a version of ulundhu vadai only..:) )

It has been long since I drew kolams by free hand. Here, the space is very small. I also had the fear of spoiling the white laminate sheets on the counter with my colors. So, I have used turmeric powder and kumkum powder (mixed with rice flour) and have used a small stainless steel plate to draw the kolam and color it. I am sure I am going to get better at it by the end of Day 9..:)

The golu and the small decorative lights and the first kolam for the season is seen in the above picture.. The kids had super fun. Harshitha, my four year old daughter, enjoyed her pattu paavadai (yes, its her turn now..) and she looked beautiful. I only hope I can match atleast 50% of what Amma did to me, year after year in giving my kutty ambaal..