Try stepping in to North Mada Street at Mylapore, and you’ll hear lines like this every nook and corner. Truly, Navarathri fever is in the air.

It’s that time of the year when you have to bring out all those carefully stored dolls from your attic, dust them, and strategically place them so that they adorn the golu padis in your house. The eternal favourites among kids and youngsters remain the park setting and the cricket set.

The dolls, which are usually made in Cuddalore and Panruti, are in different sizes and prices. “This year, there’s a 30 per cent increase in prices of dolls, mainly due to the increase in transportation charges,” says Veeramani, a shopkeeper. While the dolls of gods and goddesses are hot favourites, leaders like Gandhi and Nehru have a lot of takers as well.

Theme-based golus, which have been in vogue for the past few years, are the flavour of the Navarathri season. Manohari R, a homemaker, is collecting the right kind of dolls to spruce up her theme-based golu on wildlife in the country. “We see so much of talk on conserving wildlife,” she says, “So, during this season, I’d like to create awareness among people who visit my house to see the golu about this burning issue.”

Buying two of the same dolls is also in fashion. And the reason is simple: they are kept either facing each other, or at the two ends of the golu padis, to provide, what people call, a thematic balance.

No festival is complete without food, and with Navarathri, sundals and payasams are all set to make an entry into your everyday cuisine.

So, what are you waiting for? It’s time you decked up your golu padi.

How to create a cricket golu
– Get a complete cricket set from the neighbourhood cricket shop. Check each player before you buy; some of the pieces come with defects such as a missing hand.

– Spread the players so that you have ample space for everyone. While the batsman, bowler and umpire are a constant, you can change the other fielders every day to give it a ‘new match’ feel.

– You could ask your friends  to create a new field and have a competition to decide which is the best.

How to create a park golu
– For a park, you need grass, trees — lots of it. They’re available in a heap, in your neighbourhood market. Pick as many as you want.

– Don’t forget to throw in some chairs, merry-go-round and park benches. Also, buy a few birds and parrots. They add variety.

– Get a lot of mud. Add water and then dry it under the sun. Once done, spread it across the ‘golu park’.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Life & Style> People> Cricket / by Srinivasa Ramanujam, TNN / October 06th, 2013