In homes across Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, a staircase has appeared overnight. It leads nowhere. It is covered in dolls. Nobody is allowed to touch it.
Golu season is here. For nine nights, the house becomes a museum, a concert hall, and a sundal distribution centre. And every year, the same characters walk through the door.
1. The Golu Architect
They planned the steps in August. They know which shelf the Dasavatharam set goes on and will not discuss it. And at the very top, as always, sits Ganesha, because nothing begins without him.
Wear it: Sitting Ganesha
2. The Theme Visionary
Every year there is a park. A cricket stadium. A model of the local temple made from thermocol and ambition. This person has been thinking about next year's theme since last year's Vijayadasami.
Wear it: My Thinking Cap Is Always On
3. The Visitor on a Mission
Seven houses in one evening. One song per house. Sundal, thamboolam bag, on to the next. They know every street in the colony and which aunty makes the best kondakadalai.
Wear it: Chennai is Famous For
4. The Reluctant Singer
"Sing one song, kanna." Silence. "Just one." More silence. 
They were not being shy. They were thinking about which song. Deeply.
Wear it: Some Call It Laziness, I Call It Deep Thought
5. The Doll Critic
"Last year you had more steps, no?" They count the dolls. They notice the new set. They are certain the Chettiar couple has moved. They are not always right. They are never wrong.
Wear it: I May Not Be Always Right But I Am Never Wrong
6. The Night-Nine Survivor
Nine nights of guests, nine kinds of sundal, and a Saraswathi Puja where every book in the house is placed before the goddess (including the ones nobody has opened since school). By the last evening, all thinking has stopped.
Wear it: ETC (End of Thinking Capacity)
7. The Keeper of Traditions
They know why the steps are odd-numbered, which doll came from Grandmother's house, and what each night of Navarathiri means. Every family has one. Every Golu needs one.
Wear it: Cultures of India
Then comes Vijayadasami. The dolls are wrapped in newspaper, one is laid gently to sleep, and the staircase goes back to being a table. Until next year.
Happy Navarathiri from Offbeat. May your sundal be plentiful and your steps never wobble.