The art of Jute doll making from Bengal to the world

BENGAL is renowned for its rich and ancient heritage of dolls. The discoveries of feminine figurines of fired clay from the excavations in the Sindhu valley are a testament to the craft of doll-making. Dolls were made of cloth, wood, metal, Jute, terracotta and used for religious purposes, to gift a child and even to newlywed brides to carry as they left their birth homes. This holds significance as child marriage was prominent in that era.

"The changing dynamics of the culture and traditions are ingrained in dolls as they evolved through the generations, from handmade to machine made. Today, it stands on the verge of extinction where children are exposed to only gadgets and machine made dolls as a plaything."

The Woman wonders if children following the decade of 2030 will experience the joy of holding a doll made of cloth, beads and buttons, that their granny took days or even months to make. Or their eyes will recon only the glimmer of touch screens and drones?

The Woman pleads to the parents of today and coming years, to help her restore the significance of handmade dolls amongst the lives of their children as she firmly believes that certain traditions are for us humans to hold on to, even while we stay constantly mesmerised by what technology has to offer us.

The initiation is of course our responsibility at by Woman. We are bringing to you a range of handmade dolls that are the trendsetters. We take pride in sharing with our admirers that these are something very rare, if found at all, and that you will make a difference when you choose to add these art pieces to your wardrobe.

You must be familiar that Jute (a natural fibre) has seen demand in apparels, home décor and furnishing all over the world. Similarly, the craft of Jute doll making that emerged in a district of Bengal named Murshidabad, is one such sought after article. Yet it is extremely rare to acquire. We are here to change that. We want the world to see Jute as the golden fibre- the fibre behind the most sophisticated and traditional of art works, ranging from home décor to jewellery to dolls.

We have already brought to you Jute statement necklaces, the Mahisaasur Mardini, the Warrior Goddess, the Nritya Ganesha and more. Today, we are launching Jute dolls as handbag charms. Grab your pick as each piece is only one is existence.

Lastly, we hope that you will join us in our endeavour to retain the handmade over machine made.

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