It's the time of the year again. Navaratri Begins. The vibrant Golu dolls are back from the loft. The steps are decorated and put up to accommodate them, The living room furnitures rearranged. Grandmothers and elders waiting for the reunions and bhajans. Years ago I would have loved this time too but not anymore. Years ago when my health was intact I would eagerly make vibrant Rangolis and Kolam's along with some occasional help from curious neighborhood kids. Now, I can't do the same.
But what do I look forward to?
Maybe the food? Perhaps the 10-day festivities that arrive annually. Maybe the confluence of culture and feministic stories from mythologies. Maybe the socialization process around this? I doubt that, too.
Perhaps I'll use this year to find out and write about the same.
Day1:
The very first day of Navarathri :
Initialized the very basic installations, arrangement and decorations. The prasadham made was brown sundal (chickpeas) and Sakkarai pongal ( jaggery-milk based rice sweet).
So this day of Navrathri is basically dedicated to the Goddess Parvathi in one of her Nava Durga forms.
Shailaputri/ Malaimamagal/ Hemavathi- Parvathi, Every name denotes her as the
Daughter of the Mountains.
The feministic ideologies or the religious significance are the topics for another post.
Among all the Golu dolls the primitive ''Marapachi bommai'' always intrigued me. Marapaachi bommai ( wooden doll) is just a human ( both male and female) form carved out of redwood. These dolls come as a couple. I have been told they symbolize the early humans and our ancestors.
These are the only wooden dolls significantly placed in the topmost ( 1st Step) of the Golu padi.
While most of the Golu dolls are made of clay. This homage to the human ancestors is always a mystery that makes me wonder about our human civilization.
PICTURE OF AN INTRICATELY CARVED MARAPAACHI DOLLS.
From my personal life experiences, I have a vague recollection of playing with the Marapaachi dolls as a kid. While really not finding them attractive or fun enough to play with. I did love their solid damage proof structure though. They attended tea parties, imaginary trekking and adventures with my Barbie doll, plushies, robot dog and Lego toys.
Can you understand what this means?
The Marapaachi Dolls must have been our ancestors' play toy and so were they mine in the 21st century along with the modern play toys available to me during the 90's.
In my imaginary swamp scenarios, Marapaachi dolls were the strongest forest people to rescue everyone else. They tied me back to my cultural roots even at the age I didn't fathom the nuisances of society.
Fast forward to today, Where I find people 3D printing their Golu dolls. I wonder where these Marapaachis are!
