Ahead of Navarathri, dolls take centre stage

Here is some help on putting together a stellar kolu display

Give your old dolls a new look

* Sevalaya’s ShoppeSeva at East Mada Street in Mylapore takes up repair of broken dolls and also repaints those that are dull and faded.

Like the previous years, the NGO has tied up with artistes near its shelter at Thiruninravur village to give the dolls an all-new look. Depending on the nature of repair the work will require a minimum of one week. For re-painting, four to five days can be counted.

Prasanna, who manages the store, says they invite public to give away their gently used dolls to showcase them at Sevalaya. Besides return gifts starting from ₹ 50, one can also shop a range of dolls in papier mache and clay.

For details, call 72995 44401

* S. Paramasivan, a seasoned artist with over 14 years of experience, runs a small shop near Chitrakulam, where he breathes new life into old dolls. He specialises in repainting and repairing dolls.

For details, call 9841945161 or 70107-27239. Visit him at 52, Chitrakulam West Street, Mylapore.

Homegrown ideas

* Entrepreneur Kalai Selvi is promoting amla candy as return gift this festival season. Sourced from her organic farm, she says, the sweet is made from amla and jaggery and will promote healthy snacking. A 40 gm pack is priced at ₹ 55.

For orders, call 9047738198.

* Eco Konnectors Trust designs eco-friendly bags and handbags that are perfect as return gifts and thamboolam. To place an order, call Ganga Sridhar at 9940056069.

Step by step

* Ramanathan V, along with his daughter Sulochana and husband Krishna, specialises in crafting customised kolu padis. In the business for the last five years, they generally prefer taking orders placed in June and July.

For details, call 98840-97932 or 99402 94824. To view their models visit Krishna Villas, Kutchery Road, Mylapore.

* All branches of Giri Trading has stocked kolu padi in different sizes and materials such as plastic and wood.

* Santosh Super Stores at 11th Main Road in Anna Nagar has the foldable five step stand in steel for sale. For details, call 9500012395.

Make your gifts really count

* Special Needs Empowerment Hub (SNEH), a not-for-profit that works to bring institutions for special needs people together and create employment opportunities, has a wide range of thamboolam bags in ikkat, kolam print, tie and dye and silk fabric. These bags are tailored by adults with special needs. Proceeds from the sale directly support and enhance the livelihoods of the specially-abled community, says a note on the website.

Visit snehindia.com or call 9840076322

* Rehoboth, a home for mentally-challenged women who are empowered through tailoring and embroidery, are accepting orders for Dussehra and Deepavali. For the environment-conscious, they make newspaper bags and also customise paper bags depending on one’s requirement. While bulk order of 200 plus will take three to four days, for less than 20 in number they can be bought the same day. Potli bags, thorans and diyas are a few other gift options they design.

Rehoboth can be contacted at 9884080863/9884603308

* The vocational unit at the Spastic Society of Tamilnadu is taking orders from customers who want a thamboolam bag customised with items of their choice. One order they just completed included a potli bag comprising two diyas, kumkum, manjal and a key chain as return gift.

For details, call 29542377

Published - September 30, 2024 10:17 am IST