


Reeta Natarajan



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Entry No:
India
I have been setting up Golu every year for over 40 years across various cities in India (Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore), and outside India in cities like Singapore, London in the UK, and Lausanne in Switzerland. What started off as a a way to bond with my amma when I was a child as I helped her set the Golu padi, has now become a very integral part of who I am as well as of my spiritual journey; a symbol and product of my eagerness to keep learning, growing, and exploring my passion and creativity.
Even as I moved and travelled around the world, Golu has always been one of my constants, and a source of great joy, and grounding for me! It was 25 years ago that I began keeping a thematic setup alongside my main golu padi, that has continued to evolve over the years since. From temple focused themes such as Tirupati, to showcasing the different ways Navaratri is celebrated within India, and most recently this year's theme of Goddess and River Ganga coupled with the spiritual teachings of the Ramayana, I enjoy exploring many different elements of our rich culture, traditions and of course Sanatana Dharma.
Setting up Golu is not just for me, but is a family affair that we all enjoy partaking in! My son usually adds a touch of nature and sports to the theme, this year being cricket focused and in previous years exploring different parks, reserves, and sport arenas! My husband and daighter both enjoy researching the themes each year to bring these out in the best way in our Golu through interactive presentations and signposts, and all of us together work on some of the crafty elements of our golu.
As said earlier, this year's golu is centred around The Ganga River// Goddess Ganga as well as the teachings from The Ramayana, and we also have a Green Park cricket ground section created by my son.
Goddess Ganga symbolises Spiritual purity, Forgiveness of sins, Protection, Culture and civilization, Faith, hope, and sanity, and is the Center of ancient Indian scriptures. According to the legends and Puranas, goddess Ganga used to flow in the heavens. It was brought to the earth by the penances of sage Bhagiratha. Just as the mythical flow of Ganga is eternal, descending from the mystical realms beyond, the river serves as a metaphor for the timeless continuity of Creation itself.
Important centres along the river that hold deep significance are
Devprayag - Where Alakananda and Bhagirathi merge to form Ganga
Rishikesh - The Yoga Capital of the world, where people come in search of peace and meditation
Haridwar - The “The Gateway to Gods” where Ganga enters the plains. This is a city of ashrams and temples.
Varanasi - The oldest continuously inhabited city, the holy centre of salvation, and is also home to the renowned and revered 15th century poet-saint Sant Kabir Das.
Kabir suggested that "truth" is with the person who is on the path of righteousness, considering everything, living and non living, as divine, and who is passively detached from the affairs of the world.
He is followed by spiritual seekers around the world.His short verses in simple language have found their way into many folk traditions and they provide guidance and solace to human beings from every walk of life. He says>
“One Ram dwelt in Dasharath’s home,
One Ram resides within every being.
One Ram has expanded this entire creation,
And one Ram is beyond all of them.”
— Sant Kabir
This brings us to the theme of Ramayana, which is not just a story. It holds a deep spiritual significance. A golden thread through some of these is:
Rama is the pure form of the soul (Brahman)
Sita is the individual self or mind
The golden deer, to whom Sita gets attracted, is Maya
The Laxman Rekha is the protection for the mind against the worldly distractions
Sita unfortunately crosses that threshold and hence is captured by Ravana (the EGO).
Ravana’s 10 faces symbolise the various aspects of EGO
When Rama (pure soul) vanquishes Ravana (the Ego) and reconnects with Sita (the individual self), the reunion of the mind to the pure inner consciousness is completed
When our mind is distracted by Maya (the material world), the connection with the inner self is broken. If we conquer the false ego, that connection is restored and we will be able to realise the “Ram within all of us”.
All of this is depicted in our Golu setup, so please do watch the video for a detailed look into the padi and the themes for this year. We also host satsangs and concerts in our home this time every year alongside the visits from family, friends and relatives who contribute song and prayer to the Golu, which adds to the overall grandeur of the setup.
Video Link
Photos Link


