In Coimbatore, golu dolls crafted with sugarcane bagasse moulds teaches children free form shapes

“Every single mould we make out of bio-degradable wastes like sugarcane bagasse or paddy straw becomes a learning tool for children,” says city-based Suresh Kumar Vishwanathan, the founder of Kraftoons, a company that makes eco-friendly toys. His golu featuring handcrafted deities, peacocks, cows, parrots and elephants made from a combination of sugarcane bagasse moulds has been attracting a steady stream of visitors, especially school students from the city. “Our dolls are a mix of art and craft. While children handcraft the dolls, for example, a peacock using round moulds and heart-shaped ones (for feathers), they also learn to use colours for a neat finish. Two round moulds, when put together, make the head and body of a cow while a turtle mould forms the base of a Shivalinga. As they mould, they learn about free form shapes, and bio-miniatures, which are shapes adapted from Nature,” explains Suresh, who also makes moulding machines.

As a machine builder, one of Suresh’s first projects was replacing plastic egg trays with eco-friendly ones for the egg market at Namakkal , ranked the second largest egg production zone in Tamil Nadu. “I started making pulp moulding machines that basically converted paper pulp into trays, beer mugs, and cups. Later, I explored eco-friendly toys as plastic toys flooded the market. I started making toy moulds with sugarcane bagasse and started exporting to Japan, and also to the US, Malaysia and Singapore.”

Biodegradable moulds made from sugarcane bagasse
| Photo Credit: Siva Saravanan S

The moulds come in as many as 14 shapes and sizes, and are used as an activity tool in Montessori schools in the city.

Golu toys
| Photo Credit: Siva Saravanan S

“They use the material for craft activity to make a sunflower, unicorn or a piggy face. They also use it to learn three-dimension designs where they mix the moulds with clay or with origami, all aimed at improving logical thinking and creativity. The idol making activity for the golu was a part of this exercise.”

The golu is open for public viewing at Kraftoons, SSS Towers (second floor), Mettupalayam Road till October 5 from 9am to 8pm.