Sat Sep 27 05:07:20 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summarized news article based on the provided text:
**Headline: Retired Kolu Dolls Get a New Lease on Life Thanks to Chennai Artist’s Restorative Touch**
**Chennai, September 27, 2025** – Renu Sabanayagam, a resident of Chennai, is breathing new life into vintage kolu dolls, rescuing them from antique shops and restoring them to their former glory for her annual Navarathri display. Since 2018, Renu has been meticulously repairing and repainting these dolls, often piecing together broken figures and recreating missing features with enamel paint. Her collection, numbering between 200 and 300 dolls, isn’t just about quantity; it’s about storytelling.
Unlike traditional tiered kolu displays, Renu’s presentation is a walkaround “banquet” of themed counters, each depicting a different purana. The narrative of her kolu is guided by the dolls she discovers, leading to unique interpretations of familiar stories. For instance, unable to find a Rama doll that matched the beauty of her Sita and Lakshmana figures, she focused her display on the Lakshman Rekha incident. Themes include Rama Avatar, Krishna Avatar, Kannappa Nayanar, and even stories highlighting justice and water conservation.
Renu, described as a largely self-taught artist, leverages her artistic skills to the restoration process. Her husband, Rajendran Sabanayagam, notes that her artistic talent extends beyond doll restoration, with works in Gond tribal art and custom-painted shoes for family members. This unique hobby began as a way to fill the void after her children left home, transforming forgotten relics into vibrant pieces of art and cultural storytelling.
First Piper 