CHENNAI: It’s 7 pm on a Friday evening. Vanisri Ragupati’s house in Kalakshetra colony is bustling with visitors. ‘Showing bhakti (devotion) to god’ is the topic. Step into the drawing room and you will notice golu dolls depicting modern ways of paying offerings to temple deities. Another room in Vanisri’s house is dedicated to dolls stacked on a sevenstep set-up showcasing different kinds of people paying devotion.
Vani has attempted to depict 40 stories through dolls under eight categories of devotees — children, women, kings, animal, other profession, parents and teachers. The dolls are arranged in the chronological order of epics. “This is my eighth year. Golu is more than a social gathering to me. Initially, I started on a smaller scale. As I attended forums and golus, I developed an interest for themes and started to keep golus relevant to it. Whatever I learn from the scriptures is the topic for the year. The motive is to educate myself and pass on the knowledge.
I keep my stories simple and want my dolls to visually depict them. Golu has transformed me as a person and helps explore my inner self,” shares Vanisri, a solutions architect. Vani recollects her fond golu memories as a child. She’d set up a park, plant mustard seeds and eagerly wait for them to germinate. She’d wear her favourite pattu pavadai (a traditional skirt and top) and sing songs at different golus. She has friends with whom she shops and shares ideas.
“My friends and I pitch in and exchange dolls based on each one’s theme. We function like a community brought together by the intention to learn and do better,” tells Vani, whose favourite is her grandmother’s Meenakshi doll. Vani crafts her own dolls, stitches clothes, hair and accessories for them. “Everybody has their set of values. Around 500 people attend my golu and it’s a diverse crowd. People say that golu is a family tradition. I believe that anything done with devotion and purpose is fruitful,” says Vani. “These dolls are my babies. It takes several hours to bring them to form. They’re specially stored in sari boxes. Likewise, my dolls are repainted and used.”