A doll that is older than its owner, and one which will probably outlive her. Marapachi, with their chiseled features and rich mahogany colour, are full of mystique. Owning them is a huge responsibility — they come with a set of rules for usage and storage. The first one being: never separate the couple.
“We have to bring him close to her,” Rama Venkat tells us as we arrange her marapachi collection for a photograph. “They cannot be away from each other.” The dolls, made of red sanders, are a must in every golu. Ask anyone who owns these dolls, and they will share the age of their marapachi with pride: for most of them are several decades old.
