G. Janaki, 75
Row after row of bommais lit up by flickering agal vilakkus. It looked so magical. I was about five then, and that’s my first memory of a kolu in my grandmother’s home at Nemmara, Palghat. In our house, opposite paati’s, amma would keep a five-padi kolu, with rasagundu (decorative balls) hanging from the top.
There were about 50 homes in our agraharam and navarathri meant dressing up in our best paavadai and visiting every single house with friends, all the nine days. We would learn a song or two and sing them unfailing at every house for our sundal. They would invariably be devotional film songs, such as Divyadarisanam Tharalaagadha and Thipurasundari. I would carry a moongil koodai to bring home the bakshanam. We would share the sundal and I would tell my brothers which maami gave what. Even today, I make sundal every day — sweet sundal the first three days and kaara sundal thereafter.
At 17, I moved to Coimbatore after marriage. I recreated my grandmother’s five-padi kolu. Later, i added more padis.
The doll maker would come door to door to sell his wares. My first purchase was a vellai vinayagar. See, he’s sitting there even now, in the third row. I bought him and a Lakshmi Saraswathi for a grand one and a quarter rupees. That painting quality, finish and mugalakshnam just can’t be seen today.
Even today, I set up the kolu padi using tin trunks. It looks so much more beautiful than a steel padi. Bommai ellam visthaarama theriyum. Now, so many people set up parks. Those days, it was a rarity. But, the kolu in the house of the owners of Hotel Seetharam was so grand. Besides the padi kolu, they would set up 10 villages, each one with a theme. There would be a field with farmers, women drawing water at the well…
I always buy at least one new doll every year. Earlier, we would go to the Koothandar festival in Singanallur, where those who made mann bommai would set up shop. We would get them at a good bargain. Some of my dolls have been handed down by my mother who got them from my grandmother. See that dog there in the first row? He’s more than a 100 years old.
Even if my dolls are old and faded, I like to display them. Else, they will feel so lonely locked up in the six marapettis that hold them.
Jayalakshmi Radhamani, 78
I saw my first kolu in my grandmother’s house in Manthoppu in Podanur. For a child, it was like a dream come true. Even after all these years, there’s nothing to beat the excitement of Navarathri.
I grew up in Chennai and moved back to Podanur as a mother when I was 20. With my friend, also called Jaya, I would head to Raja Street, where they used to set up a temporary kolu on the roadside, and buy my dolls. My Guruvayurappan, Vennai Krishnar, all came from there. See, how bright they still look.
I even display the brass choppu my grandmother bought me as a child.
In the initial days of my stay in the Everest quarters, only four of us would keep kolu. We would invite everyone to come home for vethala paaku. All of them, including the Anglo-Indians would come by for sundal.
Many in the Railways quarters nearby also kept kolu. Every evening, the women would set out together to visit the kolus and sing songs and the Soundarya Lahari. One Seethalakshmi maami, the wife of a Railways official, used to teach us the Lahari.
Before Navarathri, I would make sweet and salt maida chips and kadalai urandai. They were to be used if I ran out of sundal. I used to soak a padi of grams and pulses every day to make sundal. Even then, sometimes I had to dip into the emergency bakshinam. Today, I hardly soak half a kg of grams and keep waiting for people to come!
We had a routine. On the third day we would only make vellaputtu. On the fourth day it would be ellurundai in all homes. For Saraswathi Puja, it would be kothukadalai sundal in every house.
We would tie the sundal in newspapers lined with plantain leaves. The menfolk would also chip in for this.
Today, everyone wonders if they should take time off teleserials to go see a kolu.
The children would come by singing every day. Some would even dress up as gods and goddesses and come by.
But, they would turn human the minute they eyed the sundal!
Recipe for Vella Puttu
Soak a tumbler of pacharisi for half an hour, drain and grind coarsely in the mixer. Sieve to remove impurities. Add some salt and turmeric.
Steam this in an idli pan and spread out on a plate. Once cool, it will resemble rava.
Add 3/4 tumbler jaggery to water and make a thick paagu.
Roast some cashew in ghee and set aside. Grate some coconut.
Add the jaggery paagu to the steamed rice and mix gently. Finish with a healthy drizzle of ghee, coconut and roasted cashew.
