Reporter's Diary: When kolu-hopping gets virtual via WhatsApp

On occasions, the reverse too has worked. Friends in the media would touch base with the creatively inclined, and file an article if there was something unique or unusual about it. In 2014 for example, a lady called, claiming to be friend of a friend and insisted this writer visit her kolu. Sure enough, it was worth the visit, since she had replicated the T20 finals between India and Sri Lanka. 

This year, tip-offs on unusual, interesting kolu displays are being shared on WhatsApp. One friend  had forwarded an ice carving of Durga, said to be made in Germany. It is likely to be displayed in a -50 degree hall, with a ticket pricing of Rs 600 per person, said the forward. Another friend had shot a beautiful video of her kolu in Coimbatore, meticulously planned as a 3D one. Her friends in Chennai were happy to be part of the virtual vethala paaku visit. And then there are WhatsApp messages. One of Madurai Meenakshi Amman decoration made of thousands of bangles and another of the kolu in Srirangam. 

An enterprising kolu enthusiast predicts that in a year or two, we will all have WhatsApp kolu competitions with a prize for background score maybe. Who can put a cap on virtual growth? — Bhama Devi Ravi, Chennai