Finding doll-makers in Vandipalayam in Cuddalore district is not at all a tedious task. Broken clay idols on the veranda of houses are the indicators.
Without being dissuaded by the silence on the street, one has to walk inside the house or into the backyard only to find people engrossed in the nuanced art of making golu dolls.
Sitting close to a water well that separates the house from the workshop where golu dolls are made, 54-year-old Sambathkumar is busy sculpting ‘ashta bhairava’. In his attempt to mould a clay model of the sketch from the book placed on his lap, he manoeuvres his knife-like tiny but thick ‘tools’ made of bamboo and rosewood. “The tools are used to make the sharp features and sculpt the jewels and attire of the gods,” says Mr. Sambathkumar.
These tiny clay dolls of ‘ashta bhairava’ with chiselled nose and well-defined features are being readied to make moulds for the next dasara. His 44 years of experience in the field makes him sculpt with ease and patience. “The ‘ashta bhairava’ dolls will be a new entrant in the golu doll collection next year. Each year, we make moulds for unique dolls and sell it to doll makers. From these moulds, thousands of dolls are made,” he says.
He is one of the few mould makers in the fast-dying traditional art in the Cuddalore district. “It takes three to four days to make the mould. This art requires lot of patience to sculpt the features. The younger generation lacks the patience. My children did not learn the art and many youngsters are not coming forward to learn,” he said.
V.K. Munusamy, President, Pondicherry Crafts Society, said that there was a lot of demand for golu dolls. They are exported to the U.S., Singapore, Canada, Malaysia and many other places.
“The government is now focussing only on the technical skills. If they create more opportunities to train the youngsters in the terracotta, it would help create more job opportunities. The younger generation here in Puducherry are keen to learn,” he said.
