Trump tariff & suspension of parcel service crush Kanchi golu doll makers' dream

CHENNAI: Artisans in distress and their livelihood is hit as thousands of traditional golu dolls worth several crores of rupees, produced in Kancheepuram, remain unsold due to the recent 50 per cent additional import duty imposed by the United States.

Every year during Navratri, Indian families in the United States order large quantities of golu dolls from Kancheepuram to celebrate the festival. This year, however, they have been unable to purchase dolls, leaving artisans in Tamil Nadu struggling.

In Kancheepuram, around 50 families across four streets near the Varadaraja Perumal temple have been engaged in golu doll-making for four to five generations. The doll-making is their only livelihood. Their products are sold across Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala, and also shipped to countries such as the US, Canada, Germany, and the UK.

Aravind, a doll maker, said the US has always been the biggest overseas market, with NRIs placing bulk orders every year. Selling to foreign buyers brings much higher income compared to domestic sales. But this year, due to the increased import duty, US-based Indians are hesitant to order dolls from India.

To add to the crisis, courier and postal services to the US have reportedly suspended shipments, leaving consignments stranded in Kancheepuram.

Thousands of dolls, valued at several crores of rupees, remain unsold. The import duty has pushed artisans who earn their yearly income mainly during festivals such as Krishna Jayanthi, Vinayaka Chaturthi, and Navaratri, into a bad situation.

The artisans requested that both the state and central governments intervene and provide a solution to this crisis. They urged government handicraft bodies to purchase dolls in bulk to support their livelihood. They also requested that subsidies be given to them, as is being done for fishermen during the fishing ban period. They lamented that with Navaratri around the corner, they were left in distress, unsure of how to sell their massive stock of dolls.