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The trade of doll-making losing sheen

R. Sujatha

Declining patronage, delayed payments and poor display space in showrooms are the reasons

— PHOTO: V. GANESAN

Artisan M.Jayapal gives finishing touches to an idol.

CHENNAI: Over the years, they may have graduated from pottery to doll making, but most artisans still find the going tough. Artisans who give fine shape and colour to dolls are not really excited about their prospects even when the festive season is setting in.

It is also time for dolls exhibition and the State and Central government-run showrooms such as Poompuhar, Kuralagam and Khadi Bhavan have put up month-long events. But there is little colour in the lives of artisans.

With doll making nearly a dying art, only a few dozen traditional artisans supply dolls to government showrooms. Many artisans have quit the profession, seeking greener pastures. Declining patronage, delayed payments and poor display space in the showrooms are the reasons artisans cite for their decreasing interest.

It has never been easy for them. When metal utensils became popular several decades ago, potters started considering making clay dolls. Later, they switched over to Papier Mache to express their creativity.

Many of the artisans are upset that the showrooms do not offer permanent display space though there is a demand year round. Artisan entered the profession when he was 12. From delays due to tender systems, late payments and poor display space in showrooms to the need to educate their children, they face a whole lot of challenges. “Depleting resources such as lakes that offer clay and concerns about pollution are further deterrents,” he says.

N. Jagadeeswaran started out on a salary of one rupee in 1965 and worked his way up as an artisan at Poompuhar’s unit.

In 1990, he set up a unit in Saidapet, but is worried as the sale of idols for Vinayaka Chathurthi festival that falls on Wednesday are yet to pick up. Last year, during the Navarathri festival, doll sellers around the Mylapore temple tank area sold around Rs.1 crore worth items. This year, showrooms expect to sell dolls worth at least Rs.60 lakh.

The artisans are also constrained by poor marketing skills. Unlike other Khadi Kraft products on display at Kuralagam, customers can bargain on the price of dolls. A doll priced at Rs.510 can be bought for Rs.400, they point out. Besides, unlike in Kuralagam, the display space is relegated to the upper floors in Khadi Bhavan and Poompuhar. Good display means more customers, say the artisans.

Silent workers

T.S. Vijayakumar entered the family profession but does not see a bright future. “There are fewer craftsmen now. People see the product but not the manufacturer’s face. Sixty per cent of the work in making a doll is done by the womenfolk at the home, but the men take all the credit,” he points out.

At Kosapet, of the 200 potter families, less than ten have made a name in the business, says M. Jayapal. Four of his six brothers and their wives have followed the 100-year-old family tradition.

The women in his family are silent workers.

Forty years ago, he sold dolls on the pavement. Today, he is a well-known artisan, whose works are displayed prominently in Khadi Bhavan. “Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan gave me a life,” he says. “My motto: don’t find fault with the business. Express your talent and there will be a place to showcase it.” His children and nephews are formally educated and work in corporate houses. None of them will carry forward the family tradition, he says with certainty.

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