Mirth in a cultural melange

The city revels in the nine days of Navaratri, adapting to every way the festival is celebrated — setting up kolus, dancing at Garba, and attending Durga Puja
Photo: P Jawahar
Photo: P Jawahar
Updated on
4 min read

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 the festival may differ, the belief behind it is the same — the victory of good over evil.

CE visits residential complexes, sabhas, and other public spaces to capture how Chennaiites come together during this festival season.

An utsavam of deities

As you enter Krishna Gana Sabha, a seven-step kolu displaying dolls and figures of deities like Murugan, Krishna, Vishnu, and others, welcomes you. Entering the auditorium, you experience the holiness of a temple with the LED backdrop and the flower decoration. At the centre are the 12-foot idols of Lalita Tripura Sundari and Bala Tripura Sundari to her left. “The speciality of the idol is that it is a blend of Maa Durga of Kolkata and Lalitha Tripura Sundari of South. It is so because, in the south, people celebrate the festival within their homes, we want them to come out of their house and pray to the Lord,” shares RSV Prakash, convenor of Idhu Namma Navarathri! ongoing at the sabha.

As the sunlight fades in the evening, four priests from Haridwar, dressed in kurta-pyjama perform Ganga aarti on Aigiri Nandini, and other significant devotional songs. The aarti is followed by Sindhur Khel, Bharatanatyam, Kummi, and Kolattam. On the last day, the idols will be submerged in the Bay of Bengal.

“A team of South Indians who live in Kolkata and a few members from Chennai came together to conduct this cultural melange. We want the people of the south to know the practices of the north. This is an attempt to celebrate festivals in the open rather than being isolated in the walls of the house,” notes Prakash.

Similarly, at SPR City, luxury apartments, the residents have come forward to form an eight-member committee to celebrate Navaratri. The team plans to conduct Durga Puja and Garba performances at their banquet hall, with a 600-seating capacity on October 10, 11 and 12. “Kolu is displayed at various houses. People visit them and seek blessings. Since the dolls cannot be moved, the focus is on the other celebrations at the hall,” says Gaurav Sharma, sales executive of SPR.

A get-together

Apartments now often set up a community kolu. “Most of the flats are occupied by Brahmins here. They come together and put up a seven-step kolu in the common area, perform puja at 6 pm, and distribute sundals. One family volunteers daily,” shares a resident of Vatsalyam Apartments in Saidapet.

On the other end of the city, at Voora Vidyasagar Oswal Garden in Korukkupet, Old Washermanpet, a majority of the residents are Gujaratis, Marwadis, Purohits, Rajputs, and Agarwals. “We play Garba in the evenings after Durga Puja at 10 pm. There are food stalls set up. A live DJ and music band from Ahmedabad came down to perform at this event,” says Paras Mehta, a resident. He adds that at the 20,000-ft football ground where the celebrations take place, participation is by purchasing tickets. “People from other communities such as Telugu, Tamils, and Punjabis come to play Dandiya too.”

Correspondingly, at Binny Mills North Town in Perambur, the nine days are celebrated with grandeur. On day 1, Amba maa’s idol is brought in and placed at the community hall subsequently with a puja, Garba, and then Dandiya. “Amba maa is the mother of all goddesses and she likes Garba. So Garba is played around a bonfire. People come dressed in traditional outfits — men in phento (turban) and dhoti and women in ghagra choli,” shares Narander Kumar Jain, a financial consultant.

The eighth day, Ashtami, is very auspicious, and a special puja called Ahothi is performed on this day. “A havan is organised. The kund is surrounded by a layer of cow dung. After the shlokas are read, sweets, millets, and fruits are offered to the kund. The offerings end with water. This symbolises that we are satisfying the fire god with a hearty meal,” he adds. The participants are often Chaudharies, Marwadis, Gujaratis, and Agarwals. “People from other communities watch the procedures but do not take part,” he notes.

Chennai, the cultural capital of India, lives up to its name when it comes to celebrating festivals. Chennaiites welcome every kind of celebration even if they are traditionally not theirs. As rightly put by Gaurav, “These initiatives are important because all Indians are brothers and sisters and everyone should participate in each one’s festivities.”

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