Festive Fiesta: During Navaratri, the kolu takes over our house, says S Ve Shekher

My mom used to display kolu at our home and we used to stick to a five or seven-step kolu . After her, my daughter-in-law Sruthi has continued the tradition and amped up the scale. Now, our kolu steps total 51!” begins actor and theatre artiste S Ve Shekher.

Speaking to us, Shekher speaks about the importance of supporting the family in upholding the traditions, passing the knowledge on to the next generation, celebrating Navaratri and more...

‘The kolu display my daughter-in-law puts up every year is massive’When Sruthi wanted to resume showcasing kolu at our house, we thought she would make the usual five or seven-step display, but the kolu she puts up every year is massive. Basically, during Navaratri, the kolu takes over our house and we live in the space that’s left over because there’s such a big display at our house.

MY GRANDCHILDREN ARE VERY MUCH INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS’Every year, the kolu theme is decided by the women in my family, and the theme they come up with would most likely surprise us. The theme this year is Ashtadasha Shakti Peetam. Sruthi has got a speciality in doing such things. My grandchildren are also very much involved in the process. My granddaughter, Aarna, helped set it up, while my grandson, Aaryan, has also set up a kolu comprising a classroom, a park, a birthday party, etc.

‘WE CELEBRATE NAVARATRI BY SERVING A VIRUNDHU TO 100 FAMILIES’Navaratri is a festival that brings the family together. We get to meet a lot of friends too, by inviting them to our place to show them our display and also by visiting their place. During one of the days of Navaratri, we do a grand celebration by inviting around 100 families, serving them a virundhu and celebrating the festival.

‘ONE HAS TO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILY TO UPHOLD OUR TRADITION’Navaratri is a great occasion to celebrate and it is followed closely by Deepavali as well. I believe that one has to support their family when it comes to upholding our tradition, especially so when the next generation takes it forward. This cultural festival also signifies the history behind the kolu doll. Many of the dolls that we have are over 100 years old. The most important aspect, other than the display itself, is unpacking the dolls and repacking them once the festival is over. We also work on some dolls that need some TLC.

About the display...Sruthi Ashwin Shekher takes us through the displays at her house, of which there are four — one main kolu , another with a theme and two more with brass and miniature dolls.

“The Ashtadasha Shakti Peetam kolu comprises the 18 Shakti Peethas . My regular kolu has Sapthamathrikas, avatarams of Vishnu, Buddha, Lakshmi and Saraswathi (from Raja Ravi Varma’s collection), Sammohana Krishna, Panchamukha Sivan, Arupadai Veedu, Surutapalli Swami and many more. I also have a huge display of brass dolls,” she says and adds, “Since the dolls are rather old, preserving them includes wrapping them in cloth, placing them in cartons on a bed of soft cloth surrounded by neem leaves and vasambu , etc.”

Written By: Praveen Kumar S

Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”