When Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay reached Navarathri Gol

Dolls of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay also caught the imagination of Golu doll makers. This year, at least two doll makers at the Kumaran Anugraha Kalyana Mandapam in West Mambalam produced dolls of the actor-turned-politician.

Artisan Kavitha Munusamy chose to immortalize his slashing hand gesture in a six-inch tall clay doll in gold and multi-colour. “We are all fans of Mr. Vijay at home and this particular gesture at the rally remains in our minds. After his party won the by-election, he posted a picture along with the ministers with the same gesture, so I also decided to make a doll of Vijay with that gesture,” she said.

In the stall next to hers, manned by Kalaichelvan, dolls of Lord Ganesha were being made on Mr. Vijay. “During Pillayar Chathurthi this year, many idols were modeled on the Chief Minister. They wore party-coloured clothes, cooler boxes like him and were even seen riding a bike like him. So we decided to make such a smaller Ganesha for Gola,” said Mr Kalaichelvan.

Dolls of leaders and personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar, Subramania Bharathi, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore and Thiruvalluvar are found in many households as Golu dolls. In recent times, dolls of former Chief Ministers MG Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa have also been made by artisans.

The sale of Golu dolls will continue till Monday night at Kumaran Anugraha and for several days along roads in West Mambalam and Mylapore. Many, like L. Sahana, say they are happy to buy dolls at Gol next year as the festival progresses. “I usually make a quick visit to the following stores to pick up doll sets and large dolls at more reasonable prices. The sellers will reduce the prices of the dolls because they won’t want to carry them home. It’s also a good time to pick up small individual pieces like the Muruga idol without the mountain or the Hanuman that disappeared from the Rama Sita set,” she added.

Published – 18 Oct 2026 01:44 IST