The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : The world of dolls and moving tales

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Sunday, Aug 24, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

The world of dolls and moving tales

Special Correspondent

— Photo: K.Pichumani

Artistic: Khadi Minister K. Ramachandran looking at a doll at the inauguration of an exhibition at Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan in Chennai on Thursday.

CHENNAI: The dolls exhibition at Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan on Anna Salai puts to rest all fears that the culture of story-telling is dying. On sale are a range of dolls and each tells a story.

The exhibition, which was inaugurated by Khadi Minister K. Ramachandran on Thursday, is the result of hard work of thousands of artisans across the State. Some of them mould exquisite, lifelike figures from Papier Mache while others do so in cloth. This year, the cloth dolls are the new addition to the existing range. The most expensive doll is that of Kanaka Durga. It costs Rs.29,000. The lowest priced item is the miniature biscuit.

There are figurines of national and spiritual leaders.

Story sets

Among the dolls that tell stories are tableaux depicting the children’s story of a crow that stole a vadai, the Pongal set and the Alwar set.

The bangle-seller set conjures up images of a bygone generation of women who adorned their wrists with colourful glass bangles.

Mr. Ramachandran honoured the artisans and said in 1967, the Chennai Bhavan began the sale of dolls for kolu.

During that year the sale was Rs.50,000.

The sale last year from the dolls exhibition alone was Rs.50 lakh, and this year it expects to sell Rs.60 lakh worth of dolls.

Senior officials of the Bhavan and the KVIC urged artisans to consider making dolls that would ensure them income round the year.

K.C. Kalappa, south zone member of Khadi and Village Industries Commission, spoke.

It will be on until October 9 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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