INTRO

This is my second year of keeping golu . We use to keep the golu from my childhood however after my son was born from his 2 year till 10th year we couldn’t keep golu, as he would distrub the dolls . We used to keep pattada gombe in our Pooja room. Now I want him to take part in puja and involve him in our culture.
This is second year where I have concept of Deva Loka - in middle section of three steps - Kailasa , Vaikunta and brahma loka.
With dashavatara and vishwaroopa with few more unique collection on Rama in kiskinda , Panduranga Vittal’s and Rukmini , melukote Narayana and Tayar . I have also handmade 3 shaktipeeta temples - Chamundi gopuram , Jwalaji and kholapur temples in cardboard. This year I have also made a seperate session for my son to keep his creatives to encourage him to continue our tradition.
Thank you so much for this platform to share my story

I wanted to share my approach for this year’s Golu, especially for parents with young children. This is my second year keeping Golu, but I don’t have a specific theme this time. My main priority was to keep my display safe from my two kids, ages 7 and 4. My younger child is autistic, which makes it challenging to keep anything intact at home since he loves to explore.

To protect my Golu, I decided to keep it in the closet. Whenever the kids come back from school, I can quickly push the lamps inside and close the door. This has worked well for me, and I hope it helps other parents who may be facing similar challenges.

Hi, this is Gnana Prasuna, a house wife of age 59. I have been keeping golu for over 20 years.
This time, my Golu theme consists of various small towns. My main attraction this time is Tirumala Hill, which also reflects 7 gopuras and ghat roads, surrounded with lush greenery. My small town consists of various villas, buildings and apartments, which I have hand made most of them in my free time over past few months. The town is equipped with temple for prayers, school to study, park to relax and play, clothing shop to visit and a railway station to go around to these places.
Moreover, I have two sets of 5-stepped stands, which showcases Hindu deities, namely, Ganeshas, Ashtalakshmi, Dasavatharams, Navadurgas, Ardha Nadeshwara and deities from Ramayana. I thank sapthavarna creations for giving me this opportunity to case my Golu to the world.

I have been keeping Golu for 30 years. This year I have kept my largest golu yet, with 13 different concepts. The standard concepts I have kept are Navashakti, Rama Katha and Krishna Leela (Bhaja Govindam). I have additionally also kept 10 unique themes of my own creation - Srishti, En Ragasiyam, Vahanam, Festivals, Incredible India, Azhagiya Tamilnadu, Singaara Chennai, Dinam Oru Deivam, Ashramas and Jodis. I have all kinds of dolls - traditional clay dolls, but also metal, ceramic, and my own DIY paper and thermocol creations. Please watch the video and enjoy the dolls and detailed explanations of each theme!

Banumathi Vaidhyanathan from Chennai.
Our family has been having the Golu for the past 33 years. Every year we think of creating one specific setup of any temple or environment. This year we wanted to exhibit the Mountain Gods along with their families!🙂 So we created Kailash Parbat, Sabarimala and Tirupati. Though we have quite a few addition of dolls to the Golu, the one that was in our minds from the first was the Mountains.

This time our Golu theme is our visit to Indian temples. Starting from Madurai Meenakshi, Thirupurakundram, Guruvayoor, Adiyogi Coimbatore. Our new set is Ashtalakshmi. We tried to label all our Golu dolls this year to make sure everyone understands what each dolls are.

Theme:
GOLU 2024 - My golu with 3 themes

1.நாட்டுப்புறப் படைப்புகள் (Folk Creations)
- நாட்டுப்புற இலக்கியம் (Folk Literature)
- நாட்டுப்புறக் கலைகள் (Folk Arts)

2. ஆய கலைகள் 64 (Aaya Kalaigai 64)

3.தன்னம்பிக்கை தரும் பொன்மொழிகள் ( Self-confidence Quotes By Eminent People)


Small write up highlighting important aspects of My Golu:

This year Golu 2024 I have covered 3 themes.
The first Theme is Folk Creations. In Folk Creations I have covered both Folk Literature which includes Folk Songs sung in various situations, Folk Stories, Pazhamozhigal, Folk Riddles and in Folk Arts I have covered different varieties of folk dances, folk art works.

The second theme is Aaya Kailagal 64. I have subdivided Aaya Kalaigal 64 into 10 different categories and depicted the Kailaigal in these categories.

The third theme in my golu is Self-confidence Quotes By Eminent People. In this I have covered Quotes of Eminent People Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and A. P. J.Abdul Kalam

Golu 2024 3 Themes:
இந்த வருடம் என்னுடைய கொலுவில் முதல் theme நாட்டுப்புற படைப்புகள். நாட்டுப்புற படைப்புகளில் நான் நாட்டுப்புற இலக்கியம் (இதில் வாழ்வின் வெவ்வேறு தருணங்களில் பாடப்படும் நாட்டுப்புற பாடல்கள் , நாட்டுப்புற கதைகள் , பழமொழிகள் , விடுகதைகள் , சொல்லாடல் இவை அனைத்தையும் வைத்திருக்கிறேன் ) மற்றும் நாட்டுப்புற கலைகள் (இதில் பலவகையான நாட்டுப்புற ஆட்டங்கள் மற்றும் பலவகையான நாட்டுப்புற கலைகள்) இவை அனைத்தையும் வைத்திருக்கிறேன்.

என்னுடைய இரண்டாவது theme ஆயகலைகள்64 . இதில் ஆயகலைகள் 64யை நான் 10 main தலைப்புகளாக பிரித்து அதில் ஆயகலைகள் 64யும் வைத்திருக்கிறேன்

என்னுடைய மூன்றாவது theme தன்னம்பிக்கை தரும் பொன்மொழிகள். இதில் Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and A. P. J.Abdul Kalam
அவர்கள் கூறிய தன்னம்பிக்கை தரும் பொன்மொழிகள் வைத்திருக்கிறேன்.

Name: *Shalini Diwakar*
Address: *24, prestige silver springs, ECR OMR Link Road, Chennai-600119*.
Mobile number: *+91 9884060961*
Description:
A Golu is about exhibiting the culture and traditions involved so deep in us over Yugas. Our Golu is more than a theme, an inclusive presentation that visually conveys the story to the visitors by self. Our Golu showcase dolls and idols from small to huge with few idols aged 35 years in a neat manner. Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi- the main Goddesses of Navarathri, Murugan and paavai pengal, Perumal and Lakshmi, Narasimha, Dashavatharam, Ashtalakshmi, Ramar Patta Abishegam, Kamakshmi and even our Kalasam is beautifully adorned as Amman! Our Golu showcases not only the revered Gods and Goddesses but also highlights the significant milestones of human life from Kalyanam, Reception, Seemantham, Thottil Vizha(naming ceremony), Ear piercing ceremony, Birthday and to joining school and so the life cycle goes on. Kailash, village scenes, cricket team, vilakku poojai and Chettiyar Kadai are also present, creating a rich tapestry that connects spirituality with everyday life, and that’s how we have been having our Golu for 35 years!

Our Ayodhya Ram Mandir is handmade with recycled stuff like cardboard, poster board, popsicle sticks, paper straws, bottle caps and to-go containers.

The temple model is 10’ long and 6’ wide and 5.5’ tall. Each piece is hand crafted at home and spray painted for a finished look.

Behold a pilgrimage brought to life! Our Navaratri 2024 theme, Swamiye Sharanamayyappa, immerses you in the sacred Sabarimala circuit, featuring the divine presence of Pamba Ganapathi, Erumeli Dharmasasta, Kulathupuzha Bala Sasta, Aryankavu Ayyan, Achan Kovil Dharmasasta and Sabarimala Sannidhanam. Step into a world where time stands still as ancient idols, over 100 years old, grace our Golu padi. Handcrafted mountains, sculpted from newspapers, rise like living landscapes. And feel the spiritual essence of Sengottai, a town nestled in the Aryankavu pass, woven seamlessly into this sacred tapestry.