These pretty desi dolls made people smile in pandemic
Hyderabad: Divya Tejaswi was busy with her job routine till the pandemic struck and changed her life completely. The 30-year-old who worked as a teacher in a school was one of those hit by the pandemic. Worried at losing a regular source of income, Divya thought of diversifying and starting something on her own. She […]
Hyderabad: Divya Tejaswi was busy with her job routine till the pandemic struck and changed her life completely. The 30-year-old who worked as a teacher in a school was one of those hit by the pandemic. Worried at losing a regular source of income, Divya thought of diversifying and starting something on her own.
She started with what she knew best, besides teaching – making dolls. Experimenting with different kinds of dolls, she ventured into a business and within a short span, Lalitha Dolls got popular and Divya felt encouraged to try adding more varieties to her collection.
Divya’s husband supported and helped her get into this business of making and selling dolls. She says, “starting a business is not easy and investment is crucial. We didn’t have a penny in hand to begin anything but paused our house rent for two months and invested that money in business. Thankfully, we have supportive owners who understood and didn’t force us to pay the rent.”
‘Lalitha Dolls’ specialises in Astalakshmi dolls, marriage setups, Indian bride and groom, baby shower dolls and also curate the dolls as per the customers’ choice and taste. “We take orders at least one month in advance so that we can work on the concepts,” she says.
Divya’s school-going daughter who was home during the pandemic-induced lockdown also started picking up the art of doll-making, which “made it easier to take on more orders”. “Besides my daughter, a couple of homemakers also work for me and it gives me immense satisfaction to be able to help them financially,” she says.
Divya also customises the dolls according to the pictures sent by her clients. “I do homework before getting the doll ready. It usually takes around a week to finish one doll,” says Divya, who is now supplying the dolls to the USA, Australia and the UAE.
One satisfied client brings in another and word of mouth surely played a major role in her two-year doll-making journey. Divya, who dreams of opening a physical store in the future, says she is grateful to the vloggers who promoted her products on social media.
