Doll craft in the doldrums

The art of making Thanjavur dolls is on the verge of becoming a footnote in India’s handicraft history

April 02, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:52 am IST

S. Bhoopathy is a fifth-generation doll-maker. —Photo: R.M. Rajarathinam

S. Bhoopathy is a fifth-generation doll-maker. —Photo: R.M. Rajarathinam

Punainallur Mariamman Kovil looks like any other rural southern Indian outpost. Driving past the canopied stretch of a road that is also the thoroughfare for the bus station adjoining the massive temple complex that gives this suburb of Thanjavur its name, visitors will be struck by the number of stalls selling plastic toys here.

Just a few streets behind, some families are engaged in crafting the famed Thanjavur ‘thalai-atti’ (bobble-head) and ‘uruttu’ (roly-poly or roundpot rocking) dolls, with a finesse that speaks of centuries of experience.

Royal patronage

Brought to Thanjavur by Maratha ruler Raja Serfoji in the early 19th century, the art of making these dolls is today on the verge of becoming a footnote in India’s rich folk handicraft history.

“There used to be 40-60 families engaged in making these dolls once, now only around four or five are left,” rues S. Bhoopathy, who admits he’s the last in his clan to engage in doll-making.

“My grandfather and father used to make these dolls, but now my children want to go for a different livelihood,” he says as he unpacks stock that has been returned by the government showroom Poompuhar at the end of the financial year.

“It’s hard to calculate the time you spend making these toys,” says Dhanalakshmi, who has been working with her two sons, Sakthivel and Malayandi at their small home-based factory for the past 15 years. “Profits are quite low, for so much work that you have to put in, which is why not many want to join the trade,” she reasons, while shaping the upper half of the ‘paati’ (grandmother) doll of the ‘Chettiar set’.

Made by hand

Dolls, modelled on the human form, have been a feature of world civilisations, mostly for worship or magic rituals.

The Thanjavur dolls, which earned a place in the Georgaphical Indication Registry in 2009, reflect a unique combination of modern aesthetics and ingenious engineering.

All the dolls have a lightweight body made of tapioca flour, papier mache and plaster of Paris cooked and kneaded to the consistency of roti dough.

‘My grandfather and father used to make these dolls, but now my children want to go for a different livelihood’

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