Namaskaara!
After the cereal boxes, the cracked clay, the cloth strips, and 12 hours of paint, the monkeys finally had their big reveal that officially kicked off our 2026 Golu Navarathri celebration.
The masks were displayed with the Rama Sita and Lakshmana family in our garden gone wild (read Kishkinda forest interpretation); and promptly taken for a spin. Our Golu guests, kids and adults alike, put on the masks and wore them with total joy.
We enjoyed the colorful display in our garden, and the space let the kids wear the masks and play without worrying about anything breaking. That was the moment I’d been working toward: the masks weren’t made to sit on a shelf, they were made to be worn.
Our son helped put together a short play with the monkey brothers, Vali and Sugriva, and the rest of the day was theirs.
A few lessons I’m taking into my next craft project:
- Delegating is not the same as doing. Know which one you’re signing up for.
- Test materials early. Cereal boxes beat Amazon boxes, and cloth strips beat clay.
- Weight matters. If a child won’t wear it, it isn’t finished.
- Community resource: Ask your people and research the tradition. My creative group and three art forms saved me.
- Keep time budgets honest. 4 to 6 hours per frame, then 12 hours of paint.
The masks are not quite done. I’ve made a note that I still need to finish the inside and varnish them, so they last for the next community display in November, where I take liberties of reinterpreting the masks again.
Hint: 🙈🙉🙊
That will be a bonus entry if the monkeys have more adventures. But for now, I wrap up this project.
I did work on a concurrent project for the kids goodie bag take home things, following this post is that story!
Thank you for following along, and tell me your best craft flop. Mine is competitive, as you can tell from part 1 of this series! 🤣.
Cheers,
Radha
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