Plaything: Madhya Pradesh tribal dolls 'Guddan Gudiya' face international market prospects

The 'Guddan Gudiya' tribal dolls originate from the Western Madhya Pradesh districts of Jhabua and Alirajpur, produced within the tribal communities such as Bhil and Bhilwala.

Indore:The Guddan-Gudiya, a cultural trademark of Jhabua and Alirajpur districts of Madhya Pradesh, is now all set to be produced in countries such as Germany, Switzerland, and Hong Kong by Non-Resident Indians settled there. The development comes after several among those invited to the recently held Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Indore, between January 8 and 10, showed interest and some took the dolls as mementos from the meet.

The Guddan-Gudiya, a cultural tradition from the region bordering Gujarat and Rajasthan, reflects a striking mixture of both styles, with its characteristics including the prominent use of beads, as well as the Rajasthani 'kathputli' (puppet) features on the dolls. The gifting of dolls from the region began in 1980s after Jhabua-resident Uddhav Gidwani decided to commercialize the doll-making process, largely done till then under the native Bhil and Bhilwala tribes, and started the production for sale and transportation to other parts of India.

Gidwani's Shakti Emporium is now run by his son Subhas. Speaking to ETV Bharat, Subhas said he had been making Guddan-Gudiyas for the last four decades, and that it was the most prominent symbol of the dual districts, Jhabua and Alirajpur.

"The dolls represent the lifestyle and attire of the tribal population there. These last long as they are made of cloth, so there is no fear of damage during transportation. You may get barbie dolls everywhere, but this is unique to Jhabua" he noted.

The dolls are made using cloth, cotton and wires, and a single artisan can produce four dolls in a day, he observed, adding that they had so far received a 'good response'. "Several people settled overseas in places such as Germany and Switzerland have taken our contact number," Gidwani said.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong resident in attendance at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event, Divya, said she wished to make prototypes of the dolls and sell them in particular destinations in South-East Asia such as Singapore, which witness a large tourist footfall. "In Singapore, there are localities such as Little India and Chinatown, which are always filled with products like these.

"However, if you make simple, already available products, people will not purchase them. This is why I am trying to collaborate with them and bring some changes into the dolls," she observed.

When asked whether she had any changes in mind, Divya noted that due to the Buddhist influence in South-East Asia, she had consulted the artisans about any possibility regarding the same.

The application to assign the GI (Geographical Indication) tag to the Guddan-Gudiyas was filed by the Tribal Co-operative Marketing Federation of India (TRIFED), which operates under the Tribal Affairs Ministry, in December, 2020, but no major developments have ever since been noted in this regard.