Navratri in Chennai: Of Golus, sundal, paatu and pattu sarees

Navratri is a really exciting time of the year in Chennai because it’s a festival like no other in the south India. This nine-day festival, where we celebrate Goddess Durga in all her forms, is a time when women here can actually show off their best. They dress up in their most gorgeous silk sarees and jewellery, make sure their Golu is the most exotic, sing beautifully and, of course, prepare the most delectable sundal. 

Many Tamil households in the city get ready to deck up their homes with Golu (idols and dolls) in the seven or nine-step arrangement. For nine days, the Golu takes centre-stage at home along with an assortment of ‘sundal’ (lentils) that is given as ‘prasad’ to visitors. With such a huge task ahead, women in the city spend a great deal of time and effort irrespective of whether they are working or homemakers.

First, out come the old dolls and idols from the storage. They are cleaned and prepped, while some new ones are added depending on what the kids’ at home want. The step-arrangement is set up (usually by the man of the house) and the children place the dolls on the steps. Then the lady of the house works on the sundal menu – no lentil or protein is used twice during the nine days. She makes sure that each of the nine days has one particular lentil, ranging from moong dal to peanuts to channa dal. Of course, one mustn’t forget the cups made of leaves which are stocked up for these lentils to be served in and given to visitors.

Once the Golu is set, invites are sent to all the women the lady of the house knows (by SMS and WhatsApp these days) with specific timings and dates (so that she can visit others as well). For every visitor, the hostess has to give a gift which usually comprises a blouse piece, coconut, betel leaves, flowers and some fruit. This is, of course, packed in a small gift bag, specially bought in bulk for the occasion, and kept readily packed before the visitors arrive. 

One must not forget the singing. Visitors to the home usually sit in front of the Golu and the goddess and sing songs in praise of her and other gods. In fact, many children (and moms) practice for these sessions too. Usually, it’s the children who take singing lessons that get prime spot for these songs. 

In this festive melee, what makes these nine days so unique is that they are communal in nature and bring about a great bonding between neighbours, family and friends. Family and friends, whom you don’t meet for months, will make sure they come to your house. It’s a mark of respect and a time for celebration as well. It’s a great occasion to catch up with people and yes, for those lovely selfies too. 

The city also turns festive as there are Golu contests held in the neighbourhoods to make the festival more participative and fun. From television channels to radio stations, it’s all talk about Golu, sundal and what prizes you can win. 

But the best part in this entire festival is the yummy sundal! With so many homes to visit each evening, one is given such a variety of mouth-watering sundal that you just can’t stop eating. You can’t say no to the prasad either, so you collect all the sundal cups each evening and once home, you end up with a sundal feast (if you haven’t wolfed them down in the car). 

As Navratri is set to begin, many women are already getting their silk sarees dry-cleaned and bringing jewellery out from lockers. But there are tonnes of others (like me) in the city who are looking forward to the more edible parts of the festival, namely the sundal!