The golu craze is on, with more stalls on the streets and more dolls on the shelves. We went to Mylapore Tank (the best place for golu bommais) to see what was cookin’, and found a bunch of off-beat bommais that you could add to your collection, this Navaratri! Check them out.
Tom! Yes, Tom from Tom & Jerry could be a part of your golu collection this year. Handpainted and made with clay, we found this at a makeshift shop near Selvi Stores for INR 250. Ninja Hattori is another quirky piece we found right next to Tom. Priced at INR 250, this seems to be selling out really fast. We even found a bunch of African tribal figurines at the golu stalls this time. With feathered skirts and some playing djembe (African drums) as a pair, these are priced INR 150 upwards.
Dhoti-clad workers carrying bricks and goldsmiths at work were the other two interesting figurines we spotted. Painted beautifully with each element looking very realistic, we found them priced at about INR 200 onwards. We even found cradles with a baby prince sleeping peacefully among the mass of golu dolls. Bright and colourful, this one is priced at about INR 500.
We even found pairs of turban clad men with googly eyes along with village women, painted in hues of green, mustard, blue and red in huge numbers. Price for these is INR 800 per pair. To take your golu game up a notch, you can even buy fancy ghoda baggis (horse chariots) here. Weighing quite a bit, these exude a very village-like vibe. You can even complete the whole set with clay work of Kutcheri performing women or villagers sitting together for a meal. Prices for these start from about INR 2500.
We even found golu dolls made with paper-mâché and marble, with the black marble Ganesha being our fave. Prices start from about INR 2000. You can even jazz up your golu display with toys like swings, trees, cafe furniture, fruits, veggies, clay pots, birds and more, all adding more colour and fun to the assembly.