Navratri Nostalgia

I love the Navratri festival!

To me it even takes precedence over the more popular Deepavali. It probably has to do with the variety of celebrations that one can indulge in and all enjoyed over a relaxed period of 9 days.

After two years of setting up golu in Helsinki, I am in many ways happy to be back in Singapore where the festive frenzy is very visible. Helsinki golus were low key, intimate and multicultural (we once had all of Shriya's class from her International kindergarten visit our golu, another time my Estonian and Finnish dance students were the guests of honor). Singapore golu season is one to be eagerly anticipated. Falling right after the F1 mania, it can be as heady! Music and dance concerts at over 25 different temples, golu invitations, temple sahsranamam recitings, dandiya parties, the Bengali arti and Devi (the Goddess) visarjan. The celebrations are varied and endless!

Yesterday, as I was unwrapping each doll from its protective covering (done so very well by our last movers) and arranging the golu at home, I was overcome with nostalgia. There is a pair of porcelain tigers that belonged to my maternal grandmother's mother- the great grandmother I had never met! Then there is the beautiful Vaishno Devi that was gifted by my mami. The 'wedding set' complete with a bride, groom and priest, even though a little chipped, has a special place in my heart. It has adorned my mother's golu steps for several years and continues to take pride of place in mine.

Every doll has a story, a memory. And every year as I arrange the dolls and invite the Goddess to dwell in our hearts and home for the next 9 days, I feel so much closer to the long line of matriarchs in the family. I fondly reminisce the good times I've had with each one of them and imagine how the ones I had never met must have celebrated the festival in their time.


To me,Navratri golu is as much extending the tradition to the next generation as it is about connecting with the previous ones.

Happy Navratri!

Road trip to Malacca

Before I could hear the first sign of a grunt or grumble, I quickly bundled the family into the car and directed the husband to speed towards the Causeway Link (connecting Singapore to Malaysia). Had I asked them if they wanted to go to Malacca for the weekend, they would have screamed a resounding NO. Of course, when you compare being cooped up in a car for over 3 hours each way to lounging in the condo pool, I knew that the latter was more appealing. But, how then do you break the rut and seek new experiences?

The husband and I had been to Malacca a few times before. We knew that apart from a smattering of history and quaint Dutch style buildings, there really wasn't much to see or do. It was upto the Dad and me to inject fun into the trip and set the pace for all other road trips to follow(!). I booked us into the beautiful Cyclamen Cottage, a vintage Peranakan(Chinese immigrants married to Malays, Indonesians or Indians)styled B&B. If that set the mood and got the kids exploring the traditionally decorated nooks, then the the Dad took it up a notch further by hiring the services of a brightly decorated trishaw paired with an even more colourful guide to show us around.

The next morning we were ordered by our landlady to go and taste the 'best coconut shake ever' (very popular in the region). After driving around for 30 minutes, we found the place which was nothing more than a roadside shack that could have so easily been missed. But as wierd as the concoction sounded (vanilla icecream, coconut water and the coconut tender flesh all blended), it sure did taste divine! I'd done my research on vegetarian food and we ended up having one of our best meals at the very hip Geography Cafe. We played endless rounds of scrabble and 'just a minute',stocked up on gula melaka (palm sugar for all those yummy Malay desserts), listened to all our favourite songs, bickered and simply spent two days together doing nothing. Just what we all needed!

On our way back, we got caught smack in the middle of one of the worst storms I'd seen. We had to actually park the car to the side of the highway for a long while as there was zero visibility and scary lightning attacks all around us. Some of us sent a quiet prayer while some others were very visibly scared. As we entered Singapore, I heard murmurs of- 'It was actually fun', 'the drive was not so boring afterall', 'I love coconut shakes', 'we are still alive'!

And, oh yes, I could have gloated and said 'I told you so' and started a lecture. But keeping my mouth tightly shut helped for I think we had oh so subtly nailed in a very important lesson- To never say NO to anything without trying :-)