Hyderabadi homemaker gives ‘holy’ avatar to dolls
Transforming rubber and clay dolls into Indian gods and goddesses is what Poongodi Ravi does
Hyderabad: There is nothing that melts the heart of a young girl than a cute little doll of her own. It doesn’t matter whether it is a Barbie doll or an Indian version. Now, what if these cutesy Indian dolls take the incarnation of Kamakshi Ambal, Lakshmi, Parvathi, Saraswathi, Radha or even Mother Mary?
Meet Poongodi Ravi, a city-based homemaker, who has taken her creativity to the next level by converting cute little dolls into gods and goddesses.
Poongodi had the hobby of making silk thread jewellery, but was disappointed when her jewellery business didn’t take off as expected. “Instead of wasting the silk thread material, I used it to give a doll I had at home the Madhurai Meenakshi avatar. As it turned out to be good, I started giving god/goddess avatars to other dolls,” says Poongodi, who placed her creations in the ‘Golu’, a festive display of dolls and figurines, during Dasara, instead of purchasing new dolls.
“I received a lot of appreciation from everyone who came to see our ‘Golu’. This gave me an idea to start my own online business ‘Vishu Rosh’ and I sell dolls which are converted into traditional Indian gods and goddesses,” says the 35-year-old, who is an expert in making miniature, medium and giant dolls.
Her expertise in making Kumbakarna, Vishwaroopam, Dasavataram, Ardha Nareeshwara, six-
headed Murugan and the eternal couple Radha-Krishna has surprised everyone. You name the goddess and she can make it for you.
Poongodi also does waterproof and unbreakable dolls with quilling paper, and dolls with clay as well. “None in my family is inclined towards this craft and since childhood, even I did not have an eye for creativity. I feel surprised how I developed this craft,” says the self-taught artiste.
In just two years, thanks to word-of-mouth publicity and social media promotions, Poongodi has sold more than 300 dolls. “The cost of a doll depends on the design the client chooses. If they want a grand-looking doll, it costs above Rs 1,000, while basic simple dolls start from Rs 850. There is a special price for bulk orders,” says Poongodi, who can complete creating or decorating any doll in two days and can be reached on +919590285153.
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