Curator Ashvin Rajagopalan of Ashvita Art Gallery has spent the last couple of years collecting vintage dolls. And he is not alone.
This year, even as people return to celebrating Navratri, the nine-day long festival of dolls, with enthusiasm, there is more introspection as a result of the two pandemic years, when the world was forced to slow down. As a result, instead of investing in new dolls, more people are looking towards their grandmother’s attics and antique stores to recapture the joys of the past.
The tradition of a golu at home during Navratri is unique to South India, where papier mache dolls are displayed thematically on steps (usually 3, 5, 7 or 11) with sacred food offerings every day. This is a time for reunions, for inviting friends to gather and admire golu arrangements, and traditionally dolls are passed on from generation to generation.
