Skip to main content

Featured Post

Ladakh - Planning The Trip

Over 2000 Km by road, in around 10 days. Stunning landscapes, wonderful people. That sums up our Ladakh trip. But how did it actually work? How did we make it happen? Read on to find out!  Leh, the capital of Ladakh , is accessible by air and road. Flying into Leh is the easiest, and time-saving option, while the road is the time consuming one, but with the added advantage of driving past some of the most beautiful landscapes in our country. Each option has much to recommend it, and we chose the road for just one reason – altitude sickness. Altitude sickness was one of my biggest concerns, since I suffer from motion-sickness. Yes, I do travel a lot, but that is despite my condition, and, over the years, have learnt how to handle it. I struggled with it when we visited Nathu-La in Sikkim, and wondered if I would be able to manage a week at the even higher altitudes that we would encounter in Ladakh. This was the reason we stuck to a basic plan, of only 9 days in Ladakh, thoug...
18 comments

Navaratri Preparations

Its time for yet another festival - one which gives me the maximum opportunity to use my creativity - Navaratri - the festival of nine nights. 

These nine nights (and days) are dedicated to the goddess in her myriad forms, and this festival is a celebration of not just the mother goddess, but also her creations. For us, South-Indians, Navaratri is a time for the Bommai Kolu (or Golu), a series of steps with dolls placed on them, and also a time for socialization. The kolu represents the different stages and aspects of life. The bottom steps represent life as we know it - as humans. We therefore use them to depict scenes from life. The higher steps are meant to represent our quest for divinity - which is represented by dolls showing stories from mythology involving gods and demigods. The highest steps are used to show the Gods, who are, after all, believed to be above us all! Apart from the dolls placed on the steps, we also decorate an area around the steps, usually based on some theme. This is mainly meant for children, to give a free rein to their creativity. For me, this is Samhith's area, where he chooses the theme, and then I help him set it up! Yes, I do have to do bulk of the work at present, but he contributes in more ways than you can imagine! As usual, since the theme is of his choosing, our kolu revolves around Samhith's favourite train set! The last few days have been really hectic, preparing for the festival, so no wonder this blog hasnt seen any new posts since Ganesh Chaturthi! 


Over the next ten days, I hope to write everyday, and take you along with me as I enjoy different aspects of the celebrations around me. Meanwhile, here is a sneak peek at our preparations for the kolu!





Labels:

Comments

  1. PN SubramanianSeptember 27, 2011 at 11:38 AM

    Oh! the preparations are in full swing. In the olden days we used to have wooden sculptures made of red sandalwood.(Marapacchi) which wewre kept to sleep after the Kolu. It would be interesting to go through your posts which I look forward t.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aarti krishnakumarSeptember 27, 2011 at 11:39 AM

    Oh wow, looks like quite a preparation :D

    look fwd to your Golu..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Julia DuttaSeptember 27, 2011 at 12:41 PM

    Too good Anu!

    ReplyDelete
  4. teamgsquareSeptember 27, 2011 at 2:37 PM

    Happy festive season .

    ReplyDelete
  5. EasycraftsSeptember 27, 2011 at 8:24 PM

    Thanks to your idea last year, this year we got a paper modelling kit of Circus..it was fun doing it...waiting to see your golu this year

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ana O'ReillySeptember 27, 2011 at 9:03 PM

    Anu, I love your posts about festivals, I learn so much! I borrowed this one for this week's contributors' roundup.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sangeeta khannaSeptember 27, 2011 at 9:21 PM

    How nice. I am liking it to know about the festival, particularly how it is celebrated in other parts of the country. 

    ReplyDelete
  8. magiceyeSeptember 27, 2011 at 10:11 PM

    wow! look forward to the posts ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anu ShankarSeptember 29, 2011 at 11:12 AM

    We keep marapachi too.... and make them sleep on the last day....

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anu ShankarSeptember 29, 2011 at 11:12 AM

    Yes, aarti! wait till u see the next one!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anu ShankarSeptember 29, 2011 at 11:13 AM

    Thanks a lot! and wish u the same!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anu ShankarSeptember 29, 2011 at 11:13 AM

    Thanks so much, Ana! have been so busy havent had time to check out the site since the last few days! will head over asap!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anu ShankarSeptember 29, 2011 at 11:13 AM

    Thanks Sangeeta! 

    ReplyDelete
  14. NishaOctober 3, 2011 at 12:29 AM

    Such an elaborate preparation Anu! I am sure Samhith is enjoying the most.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anu ShankarOctober 3, 2011 at 9:23 AM

    THanks Nisha! Samhith is having a blast! u shd come home for navaratri once!

    ReplyDelete
  16. TeamKailashOnlineOctober 17, 2012 at 1:03 PM

    May this navratri bring happiness and Prosperity to all..Happy Navratri..Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw...
10 comments
Read more

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.
7 comments
Read more

Review of Executive Lounges at New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS)

During my recent trip to Uttarakhand , I was faced with a problem I had never encountered before. We were passing through Delhi, but we had hardly any time in the city. On earlier visits when I have had to change trains/flights at Delhi, I have always arrived in the morning and left again at night, visiting relatives in between. This time, I was arriving in the city at night, and leaving again early in the morning. There was hardly any time to visit people. I would only have a couple of hours with them before I’d have to leave again. For the first time, we considered booking a hotel, but there again, we were hesitant about the actual hotels, the costs involved, and the logistics of getting from the airport to the railway station and then back again from the station to the airport.  That’s when we remembered reading something about a corporate-managed lounge at Delhi station. We soon figured out that we could book online and pay by the hour. Besides, we also learnt that there wasn’...
2 comments
Read more