Rain, bad roads damage city’s stock of dolls for Navratri

Golu doll vendors said that 20-30% of their stock this year was damaged owing to heavy rain and bad conditions of roads in the city.

Golu doll vendors said that 20-30% of their stock this year was damaged owing to heavy rain and bad conditions of roads in the city.

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Golu dolls are traditional clay figurines displayed by Tamilian families in their homes during Navratri.

As making the dolls takes nearly a year, manufacturers start work immediately at the end of the nine-day festival and sell them ahead of the festival next year. Kashi Vishwanathan, a managing partner at Giri Trading Agency Pvt Ltd, which sells the dolls at its shops in the city, said, “10 days after Navratri gets over, our workers start making the dolls. Production takes place in Pondicherry, Chengalpattu and outskirts of Chennai. Last year, as rains caused havoc in Tamil Nadu, most of the clay dolls did not dry and were damaged.”

“Additionally, a lot of damage was caused during transportation owing to the condition of the roads. The least damage this year was caused due to handling-related problems,” said Rekha Vishwanath, owner of Giri Trading Agency Pvt Ltd.