With ‘Vinayaka Chathurthi’ and ‘Navarathri’ fast approaching, every dwelling — big and small — in Vilachery is alive and throbbing these days. This sleepy village on the southern fringes of the city is home to around 200 families that have been making clay and papier-mâché dolls for the past 30 years.
“Our forefathers used to make clay pots alone. We diversified into making dolls a few decades back. We mainly make dolls for ‘Navarathri’ ‘kolu’ arrangements, idols during Vinayaga Chathurti and nativity sets during Christmas,” one of the artisans says.
Artisan M. Ramalingam says though papier-mâché dolls are preferred for their lightweight, many customers still opt for clay dolls since they are of the belief that they are symbols of auspiciousness and tradition.
“We get clay from the Vilachery tank to make the dolls. All the artisans here still make dolls by using moulds and paint them by hand,” he says. “While we supply dolls to government and private showrooms in the city, customers also come and procure dolls directly from us since many are interested in seeing how they are made,” Mr. Ramalingam says.
Custom-made for NRIsNon-resident Indians (NRI) have started frequenting the area to place orders for custom-made dolls. “They ask for papier-mâché dolls not more than five inches high so that they can be transported to their countries easily. They give the design or photograph for the doll of their choice,” says artisan M. Muthuganesan.
In the past customers preferred dolls based on scenes from the famous ‘Ramayana’ TV serial. “Nowadays people want innovative sets of dolls for theme-based ‘Kolu’ arrangements during Navarathri,” says M. Meena.
Women in the area have formed self-help groups and run their own production units. “We get loans from the government and function in groups of 15 members. This has not only given us additional source of income, but has also instilled confidence in us,” opines R. Selvi.
Rising cost of raw materials over the years has, however, raised concerns among the artisans. “There has been a 20 per cent increase in the cost of Plaster of Paris used to make moulds. Rising cost of petrol has contributed to high paint prices,” an artisan says.
Mr. Mahalingam says they need more government support. “While there are training programmes for artisans, and formation of clusters, we need training in effective marketing techniques,” he says.
