Golu at Radhechi's

 

.When Radhechi saw the pic of me and mom at a friend's place, she called me and asked me to take mom there to see her Golu. In spite of the difficulty mom  has in climbing steps, we thought it would be worth the pain.

. A visit to Radhechi

A COOL AND COLORFUL RECEPTION

Definitely not necessary for your daily bread,but fodder for your soul, ethereal..

take away..all your needs in a plate

can be summarised thus.. she chatters nineteen to the dozen, just loves our presence and she cannot contain her excitement, a kiddishness springing from innocence,

feeds us with the ghee dripping crisp dosas and aromatic Tamil coffee..make us taste her numerous pickles, and podis. Love her dark colored traditional sarees, and the jasmine in her her oiled and tightly plaited hair. ..like out of an R.K Narayan novel to top it now, we have the Golu, which she keeps every year for Navrathri. It symbolizes women power..

She received us with turmeric, sandal and kumkum, gave me a piece of fragrant jasmine strand, which she immediately made me insert into my hair, chiding me that we Kannurkar  do not care for jasmine strands which is a must for them. To top it all I .had forgotten my bindi too, which was unpardonable..she immediately fetched one and jammed it on  my forehead.  Chatting away merrily, not giving a chance for Kannettan to speak, she led us to the Golu..Oh my..wasn't it a treat? small clay dolls depicting stories from Indian mythology, were arranged beautifully without seeming to be  huddled together. you can just sit and drink in the beauty..I must say, that they are just clay dolls, with garish paint on them, but the air and the way she made it to be, gave it a new meaning, her daughter Manju, who is in Hong Kong, supports her by buying her new collections every time. It seems it was done to protect the clay home industry, thereby providing jobs for the rural folk. The stories depict how the demons were vanquished by the Mother Goddess and how justice prevailed The lights flickered, the lotus flowers at the feet of the goddess..oh it is really Queen of flowers..so divine. Her silver idol of the Goddess was draped in silk and adorned with gold chains and lotus petals. Flowers,  glass bangles, clay images..all of these.. need to be treated with care..or they break..that is a lesson to live life with care.. I wondered..times have not changed at all..demons and gods and the tussle between good and bad is the only constant factor. We are still waging the inner battles and outer conflicts.The years and yugas just change..as a Takeaway gift, a thali laden with a blouse piece, coconut, turmeric, Health and vitality) kumkum,((a happy married life) a small mirror, (to be aware of ourselves, and to watch our steps), a comb to keep ourselves groomed..glass bangles, and a five rupee coin..all symbols of wishing us a happy year ahead.

A happy and colorful evening, and her Golu had served he purpose, had made a mundane day a happy memory..