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2020 has been a crazy year for literally everyone on the planet and the same was (is) true for me. What with work from home, home schooling a toddler and the added pressure of house hold work as we had to stop all house help to avoid the risk of contracting Covid-19. The glue which was holding my sanity together is planning for this years Navarathri.
Every Golu has two integral parts, the traditional part where the Idols of Goddesses and Gods displayed on odd numbered steps (3, 5, 7, 9) and sets of dolls which displays everyday life, like a festival celebration, village life, zoo etc.
This year we wanted to create a typical village with temple, shops, houses etc and a small nandhavanam with 'in-built' zoo.
Most of the items like decorations, shops in 'Village' set up are handmade by me. This was done over the course of the year. I simply live for the joy of creating things out of nothing, there is no greater joy than displaying a finished product for a crafter. So you can imagine how much I look forward to Navarathri every year.
Of course it comes with the added advantage of meeting family, friends, singing to my hearts content without anyone asking me to shut up and I also take this chance to make the most shy person on the planet to sing and dance ๐
Also Navarathri is a special occasion for our family. There are so many fond holiday memories in our maternal grandparents place. The best memories comprise of time spent with my cousins playing in October Chennai rain, 'who-can-stay-awake-the-whole-night' and 'who can eat more' competitions (!) & of course arranging golu dolls.
All these memories triggered with one word, Navarathri (or 'Quarterly leave' if you're a South Indian 90's kid). The preparation and planning itself takes a month (if you're a normal person) and for crazy crafters like me, it takes roughly about a year.
I will be posting details of all things handmade in separate posts.
Without further ado presenting you this years Navarathri Golu!
This is the trailer which I made during the festival, please follow the link in the description for the detailed Golu.
Please leave a comment after you watch the video ๐. Below is the full detailed video.
