Artisans in Vilacheri gear up for Christmas season with papier-mache dolls

Artists from Vilacheri, Madurai, have pulled up their socks to make this Christmas merrier with their papier-mache and colourful clay dolls. They have made Jesus Christ dolls and other characters from the story of Jesus Christ’s birth.

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Velachery is famous for these artistically crafted dolls. Artisans come from around 200 families in this rural village and have been in the business of traditionally making clay and papier-mache dolls for various festivals like Navratri and Dussehra, but the most in-demand dolls are those of Christmas this season.

The artists have brought out Santa Claus and Jesus Christ dolls in large numbers this Christmas season. Demand from other states encourages the artists to make more and more colourful dolls. 

Kaveri, an artisan told ANI, "We make idols of Jesus, Velanakanni Mata and many more. The idols are mostly 5 inches tall and are made with various colour combinations." 

Another artisan called Selvi told ANI, "We get orders from neighbouring states like Kerala. Many times, we get orders from abroad. We start preparing a month in advance to meet the high demand for colourful statues." 

Artisans told a reputable newspaper that, though papier-mâché dolls are preferred for their lightweight, many customers still opt for clay dolls since they are of the belief that they are symbols of auspiciousness and tradition.

“We get clay from the Velachery tank to make the dolls. All the artisans here still make dolls by using molds and paint them by hand. While we supply dolls to government and private showrooms in the city, customers also come and procure dolls directly from us since many are interested in seeing how they are made,” an artisan told the newspaper

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Non-resident Indians (NRI) have started frequenting the area to place orders for custom-made dolls. “They ask for papier-mâché dolls not more than five inches high so that they can be transported to their countries easily. They give the design or photograph for the doll of their choice,” said the craftsman.

Women in the area run their own production units and have formed self-help groups. “We get loans from the government and function in 15-member groups. This has not only given us an additional source of income but has also instilled confidence in us,” artisan Selvi told the newspaper.

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The artisans are concerned about the rising cost of raw materials over the years. There has been a 20 per cent increase in the cost of Plaster of Paris used to make moulds and the price of paint is steadily rising with the rising cost of petrol.

Artisans told the newspaper that they need more government support. An artisan said, “While there are training programmes for artisans and formation of clusters, we need training in effective marketing techniques.”

(With Inputs from ANI)