Poompuhar in Coimbatore sets sales target of ₹50 lakh

The exhibition will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. till October 20.

Kolu dolls on display at the annual exhibition at Poompuhar showroom in the city on Tuesday.

As many as 15 artisans from in and around Coimbatore and a couple of them from other States have exhibited a range of kolu dolls at Poompuhar that was inaugurated by District Collector G.S. Sameeran here on Tuesday.

Dolls made of clay, paper mache, wood, marble, fabric, and brass adorn the racks of Poompuhar. Toda hand made products, Ganesha wall hanging made of camel grass ( vettiver ), and kitchen play sets made of clay are some of the new products on display. The traditional marapaachi dolls made of wood come with decorations and this year, the artisans have displayed dasavatharam made of teak wood.

Deepa, who usually displays temple models made of cardboard, has 48 models this year, including jallikattu, uzhavar sandhai, Perur Patteeswarar temple, and Thiruvarur temple car. “I am part of a self help group and I took loan to make the models this year,” she said.

Subramaniam from Perur, who makes dolls out of wood, started working six months ago for the kolu sales, hoping it will be better this year. Surya, a young artist from Madampatty, is from a family of artisans and has displayed a range of paper mache dolls. “I spoke to 40 artisans and only 15 have made it to the expo. Many of them have left the trade because of the economic impact of the pandemic,” says Ronald Selvestin, manager of the outlet.

Poompuhar is looking at ₹50 lakhs sale this year from the expo.

The exhibition will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. till October 20. The shop will remain closed on Sundays this year.