Radha Ramasubramnyam from Kodambakkam is buying a piece of sandalwood log at Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan, Anna Salai. “It's a temple offering and this is the only place where I can be sure it's not wood soaked in perfume,” she explains. The sweetest memory of her childhood was the arrival of the Bhavan's tempo with a range of goodies, remembers Sankari Amritkumar, 64. “For us forever-hungry kids, the handmade biscuits, kadalaiundai and maaladu were manna from heaven.” She still buys hand-pound rice, honey, pure vathals and powders from Bhavan. “KGB was an organic store long before the word got trendy.”
“Don't look at the Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan as a mere marketing outlet,” appeals G. Kannappan, Manager. “Bhavan stores ensure a fair deal and proper marketing for growers/producers in India's villages, while bringing to city folks some of our finest food, clothing and handicraft items.” Inaugurated by K. Kamaraj on October 16, 1957 in a 20’x3’ room, it is now a 40’x15’ area with an added floor, air-conditioned interior, branches in Gopalapuram and Indira Nagar.
The inventory is pan-Indian, sourced from village sangams, Sarvodaya units, weaver communities and doll-making centres. These include Thoothukudi's panamkalkandu (palm candy), Madavaram's juices, palm sugar and sukku coffee powder, Kashmiri and Varajpetti (Karnataka) honey, Tiruppur's neem/tulasi/vettiver/sandalwood/aloevera soap made at a Sarvodyaya Sangam whose foundation stone was laid by the Mahatma. At the decorative items section, you'll find brass-craft from Moradabad-UP, panchaloham plates of Kumbakonam/Swamimalai/Tanjore (Rs.588-5,000), white-metal/whitewood figurines of Jaipur, light gun-metal statutes of Hyderabad, wooden furniture of Saharanpur-UP, whitestone carvings of Agra, Kondapalli (Andhra Pradesh) wooden toys, sandalwood carvings of Karnataka, and kolu dolls from Cuddalore, Pondy, Kosapatti, Vandavasi and Mayavaram. “No Chinese products here,” smiled a shopper.
The tiny Santhal (Bengali) dancers and tribal huntsmen look special. “Ganga mud gives them that smooth, shiny finish,” says Kannappan, adding, “There is one Bengal product that Tamil Nadu cannot do without.” He brings out bales of super-fine cloth in white and light brown. “This is Bengal muslin, the “minister khadi” - worn as veshti, shirt or kurta.” Every year, the Governor visits the shop on October 2 to launch the rebate season, he says, and the rush of muslin buyers includes MPs, MLAs, ministers and friends. Minister khadi, made with cotton grown in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, spun and woven in West Bengal, sells from Rs. 200 – Rs.734/metre (the length that flies off the shelves). “The climate and water of Bengal produce cloth that gets softer and brighter with each wash.”
Conches arrive from all shores, rudrakshams (with 1-21 segments) cost from Rs 3-Rs. 3.5 lakh each (soak them in mustard oil for shelf-life), clear spatikam beads (cool to touch) from Nepal are sold in strings. “Film/TV stars love all our stones, (Jaipur garnets (Rs.70-350) among them), loose or as jewellery.” Judges, bureaucrats and politicians shop here for these, says Kannappan. Upstairs, I find an ISI-certified product that KGB alone sells: the National Flag. “Made in Surat,” says a shop assistant. “All government departments and institutions source it from us.”
At the entrance, a crowd has gathered to grab fresh coconut buns and veggie patties. These get sold in hours, as do Oothukuzhi butter and loose honey. I sip a cup of Udaipur gooseberry juice. It is excellent.
For more hand-made products from Tamil Nadu, I go to Kuralagam whose Khadi Kraft hosts a dolls sale around this time of the year. Mud dolls are a rage but equally attractive are those made of papier mache, pith, marble and coconuts.
To complete your kolu set, you could pick up wooden/mud bullock carts and animals, sea-shell art and the recently-added figurines of gods and goddesses. Their all-year sell-outs are, however, at the food and cosmetic counters. “For years, I took a bus to the shop at Esplanade for a jar of honey; you won't find that taste anywhere else,” said Chandru, a senior resident of Adyar. He has also bought their herbal soap, sandalwood products, leather shoes and slippers, pickles, dates and laddus. “Authentic and affordable,” he says.
Poompuhar, on Anna Salai, has evolved into a landmark store for Tamil Nadu's exquisite brass figures of gods and goddesses. Opened in 1973 by the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation, the shop specialises in Tamil Nadu's stone and brass figures, carved brass-lamps, jewelled Tanjore paintings, kalamkari/batik prints, korai mats, wood-carvings and temple decorations.
The corporation trains artists to style products to suit changing demand, and holds exhibitions and competitions across the state to preserve traditional hand-arts.
The store has gone online, so overseas clients can order items.
Want to order a temple chariot? Log on to their website. Kolu sales started on August 21.
