Kolu celebrations in Chennai Malls
Keeping the Kolu is a way of worshipping the Universal Mother during Navarathri. Preparations for Kolu decorations are sometimes done months in advance. Dolls are bought, themes are planned and family and friends come together to give shape to the kolu arrangements.
Did you know that Kolu or doll decorations are done not only in India, but also in Sri Lanka and Japan? In Japan, it is celebrated as the “Hinamatsuri”. It is celebrated every 3rd of March. It is done using ornamental dolls to represent emperors, empresses, musicians and attendants in the traditional court. Each step has a different meaning in Hinamatsuri.
Today in India, Kolu is being redesigned with new methods and themes that are different from the traditional Kolu celebrated earlier. Another new trend here is of `community Kolus’, where many women unable to keep Kolu in their own homes come together and put it up in a common place. It promotes team spirit and reflects innovation and creativity. Despite the internet and the fast lives that we live, the colorful Kolu has been adapting itself to the needs of our changing society.
In Chennai, even malls have started participating in the spirit of the festival. The Abirami Mega Mall in Purasaiwalkam is having its own Kolu for nine days, each day with a new theme. Kolu dolls made of snow in the Abirami Snow world, has had viewers mesmerized.
The Four Frames theatre has kept Kolu for the eighth year now. Movie star, Prabhu was the chief guest this year. The Kolu was set up inside the building. It was a traditional Kolu, with a village on the floor and dolls made of clay.
The Express Avenue Mall in Royapettah, Chennai is hosting an event of garba dancing, VGN Navratri Festival at its premises. The event is on for nine days of Navarathri. There are prizes offered for various categories as best dancer, best dressed participant, etc.
The programme starts at 10:30 pm and goes on till around 3 am. There are more than a thousand participants each night and about 30 to 40 prizes and gifts are up for grabs. It takes a lot of effort to make a festival of this magnitude a success and the people at Express Avenue have done it this year.
The Phoenix Mall in Velechery, Chennai is celebrating Navarathri with an instrumental music concert and an incredible Kolu display. It starts at around 7 pm, and it will be there every day until the 14th of October.
It is festivals like these that make us remember how wonderful and colorful our culture really is. In a world that is lost in technology, it is days like these that you will remember for a lifetime. And I sincerely hope that the future generations also enjoy the festivals and uniqueness of our cultures as much as we do.
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