Gaga over gombe

BENGALURU : Vinay Prashant and Suvarna Kamakshi, co-founders of Studio Tamaala, in J P Nagar, took a “gamble” when they suggested to artisans to create a theme based on the Mysuru Dasara. Having cashed in on the nostalgia factor, little did they know that the gombe (dolls) sales would work in their favour, and the miniature creations would fly off the shelves.

“We knew that unlike previous years, when at least 25 per cent of Bengaluru residents thronged the Mysuru Dasara celebrations, this year that would be muted. To create a sense of nostalgia, we asked the vishwakarmis (woodcraft artisans who have been associated with the royal family for hundreds of years), to recreate that setting,” he says. 

The highlight of their collection this year – the Yaduveer and the Krishnaraja Wadiyar dolls – are sold out. The Dasara procession, Mysuru KR Circle, Jaganmohan Palace, have been the most popular collection this year, according to Prashant. “We usually only work with artisans from Channapatna and Tamil Nadu, but this year, owing to the pandemic, we took a chance and decided to work with rural artisans across the country, including those from Kondapalli (Andhra Pradesh), Thanjavur and Panruti (Tamil Nadu), and 
Kolkata,” he says. 

The theme for the collection at the art gallery includes episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and scenes from Indian villages. With the Ayodhya temple having got sanctioned, Prashant points out that enquiries and purchases have also risen.

“Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana was also aired during the lockdown, which is why we’ve been seeing many keen on adding these to their collection. We work with one particular artisan from Tamil Nadu who makes themed dolls from various stories of the epic – Shabri, Jataayu, Sanjeevani,” he says.  

The art gallery which has been working on empowering rural artisans has been delivering and shipping dolls, made from clay, lac-turned-wood and plaster, across India – Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. Priced between `250 and `6,000, they have sold 3,000 pieces, with 500 of them from the Mysuru collection.

“No one knew how this season would go, but the nostalgia behind the Mysuru collection seems to have caught the imagination of collectors,” he says, adding, “Even though we figured that 50 per cent of the families we knew were going to have a low-key celebration, we are glad that this has worked in our favour. About 90 per cent of the sales have been online, with only a few wanting to come to touch and feel the items.” For details, log onto tamaala.com