olls are the representative of a nation and are the confluence of its different ages, time and culture. From early times, various materials have been used to make toys and dolls. The oldest toys date back to 5000 Years from the sites of Indus valley civilization. The Tamil people have a very special affection for dolls. They are a part of a tradition Tamils have grown up with. At one time dolls were given away as wedding presents to the child bride. Today, dolls not only provide a diversion but also a colourful canvas for depicting and documenting Indian life in its plethora of cultural beauties. Dolls serve as a reference for future generations of the past generations.

The Dolls exhibited here are made of clay and are coloured using enamel paint. A style of the 1940’s, they depict people and their lifestyle of that period. Most Tamil homes had them and were affordable even to the lower middle class. Some have them even today and annually exhibit them during the Navarathiri “GOLU” celebration (October). Of course, today, plastic and hi-tech dolls are slowly replacing them.

Interestingly, most of Indian beliefs are threaded in her cultural and religious fabric. Very often they are said to be scientific aswell. Even in the case of dolls, literally every home had a particular doll called the ‘MARAPACHI’ made of solid wood. When ever there was a boil, the wood doll was scrubbed on a clean surface and the resultant paste was applied on the boil. Obviously the particular wood had some medicinal value. Strange but true, even today most rural Indian homes have one.