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Photo: T. Singaravelou

CELEBRATION OF COLOUR At an exhibition

As for the prices, they have shot up. A set of 10 Dasavatharam dolls used to cost just Rs. 20. The colours were lamp black for black, muthu vella for white, a mix of pink and yellow for the face and an extract from the adathoda leaf for green. They had to grind the colour with gum. If there was excess gum, the colour would crack and if there was less, it would not shine. Before the concept of making dolls with moulds came into existence, craftsmen handmade each piece. Moulds cost anywhere between Rs. 500 and Rs. 5,000, depending on the workmanship.

With Navaratri nearing, Naina’s house in Kosapalayam has a steady stream of visitors who choose the latest dolls. His daughter-in-law Geethanjali deals with the customers, while her children, who attend school and college, draw the eyes, lips and jewellery for the dolls.

Recalls Vaithilinga Pathar, as he gives finishing touches to a doll, “People would come all the way from Madras, Tiruchi and Madurai to buy dolls. This entire street was full of toy makers like Santha, Krishnamoorthy, Rangarajan, my uncle and others. Entire families would be busy making dolls for at least 6 months a year. A month or so before the festival we would colour the dolls, and kooda kaars would come and buy them to sell elsewhere.”

Vaithilinga Pathar with one of his creations

To the 90-something Mangalakshmi Ammal, wife of V. Krishna Pathar, the colourful Kolu dolls evoke nostalgia. She talks of the time when her husband would take the dolls to places such as Chidambaram and Paruti and sell them at festivals. “He would return home late. Motta Amma, Paapa Amma, Arunachala Pathar and Vaithilinga Pathar would also sell dolls on M.G. Road in front of the Vedapureeswarar temple. It would rain on and off, and they would rush to cover the dolls with plastic sheets. It is only in 1994 that the dolls exhibition started.”

Kollu dolls from Puducherry are considered special, says V. K. Munusamy, terracotta master craftsman, whose father was in the Kolu doll making business. Thanks to the clay here. “We mine it from the banks of the Sankarabarani River. It is like fibre and does not break easily. Even if we make huge 12-feet high dolls they remain strong. Dolls in Puducherry used to be made in Tanjore-painting style, with pearls and precious stones and even gold sheet layering.” He cites a doll of baby Krishna at the Puducherry museum as an example.

About the present situation of this labour-intensive craft, he says, “There are about 21 families of Kolu doll makers in Puducherry. There is a growing demand for the dolls, but several families want to give up the craft. Many of the families, who have made dolls and raths for temples, have switched to other professions and to making terracotta dolls.”

In Puducherry you can buy dolls at three places – the pavement in front of the Vedapureeswarar Temple, inside the temple where the Pondicherry Toy-makers Service Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd (Bommai) has its annual exhibition and at the Pudhumai exhibition opposite Gandhi Thidal. At the Bommai exhibition, where there are about 50 stalls, the new dolls are those of the 63 Nayanmars (Saiva saints), 18 Siddhars, Chakrathalwar, Nithya Kalyana Perumal, Dhanwanthri and Lakshmi Narasimhar. It also has terracotta dolls, ceramic dolls and decorative items for Kolu.

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