Bengal govt gears up to give GI tag to wooden dolls of Burdwan

Kolkata: The state government has taken up an initiative to provide GI certification to wooden dolls produced in Burdwan.

It may be recalled that Bengal's Rosogolla and Sitabhog and Mihidana of Burdwan have already got GI certification. The state government is now trying to provide a GI tag to the wooden dolls of Burdwan as well, so that no one else can use the technique to prepare the dolls.

The artisans at Natungram area of Burdwan have been preparing the wooden dolls for several years. Natungram had mostly been covered by jungles years ago, before a community known as Sutradhar reportedly cleared the jungles and gave a completely new shape to the village.

People residing in the nearby areas used to construct clay-made busts of various gods and goddesses, along

with many other personalities. The Sutradhar community subsequently mastered the art of preparing the busts and earned a reputation for the village in the state.

The community later diverted their attention to the making of wooden dolls for earning more money. They no longer prepare the clay busts and have completely switched over to wooden dolls as it turned to be a more economically viable option for them. They also started making various wooden utensils and furniture later.

In the past few decades, the wooden dolls of Natungram have earned acclaim from various parts of the country and people have shown significant interest in buying them.

These wooden dolls are often found in all the fairs organised by the government or its agencies in various places.

Gokul Nath, an artisan involved in making wooden dolls at Natungram, said: "We are thankful to the state government for taking the initiative to give recognition to our handicrafts. We feel proud as we are associated with this art. We believe that the recognition from the government will help us immensely in fetching global fame as well. The future generations will also be encouraged and motivated towards work."