Shreya Biswas | October 21, 2022
The dolls manufactured during the pandemic were also sold along with the new collection this year. Sales have gone up to pre-pandemic levels.
The Golu doll sales and exports increased during Navratri this year, after a two-year halt in festivities due to the pandemic.
Some of the dolls manufactured during the COVID-19 outbreak were also sold with the new collection this year. Most of the manufactured golu dolls were damaged in the warehouse as they remained unsold. “It is hard to quantify as most of the dolls that were manufactured at that time got damaged due to heavy rains and lack of storage facilities,” said T S Srinivasan, director of sales at Giri Trading Agency on the losses incurred during the pandemic.
The dolls are manufactured across India and are made of clay and papier-mache, with clay dolls relatively affordable compared to those made from papier-mache.
Giri Trading Agency generated Rs.1 crore from selling ‘Bommai Golu’, an artistic display of dolls and figurines during the festival of Navratri in South India. The dolls were sold across India and abroad this year. Golu doll shops such as Giri Trading Agency attract customers by selling theme-based Golu dolls each year. Ramayana-themed golu dolls were sold for Rs.36,000 this year.
Indians staying abroad either ordered online or came to Chennai to buy their choice of dolls, while some even video-called shops to select and place orders, said Srinivasan. “We manufacture about one to two lakh dolls each year,” added Srinivasan.
All India Handlooms and Handicrafts, a golu doll seller in Mylapore, registered low sales during the pandemic, only a few local routine customers bought low-priced golu dolls.
Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) did not purchase golu dolls during the pandemic. However, around 200 NRI customers ordered along with the 1000 regular customers. “This year we have sold 75 per cent of the products,” said Gopal Krishnan, Manager, All India Handlooms and Handicrafts, adding that the golu dolls are sold for double the procurement price.
Bommi, a roadside seller for 25 years, could not sell any dolls during the pandemic and suffered financially. She runs her business with the loans she borrowed by pledging gold in the bank. Sales reached pre-covid levels as new customers started keeping dolls in colleges and offices. She sells golu dolls starting from Rs.100 for clay-made golu dolls and going up to Rs.5,000 for papier-mache dolls.
Increase in sales comes with tough competition from other roadside doll sellers especially due to a 10-day sale window during Navratri. Sellers find alternative ways to earn wages. “During Ganesh Chaturthi, I sell Ganesha idols and have good business for a month and during other times, I sell plastic buckets and tubs in places like Mayiladuthurai,” said Bommi.