Socks Doll - Ahmednagar, Maharashtra
Dolls have always been an inevitable part of one's childhood. This being a symbol of changing ages, time, and culture, represented the history of a particular country always through them. Among its users, children, in particular, find great fun in playing with dolls, which helps them develop their intellect and imagination. In ancient times, dolls were made up of natural materials but gradually with time, they went through innovations, making the new age dolls of fibers, plastics, and rubbers. They were even considered to bring in good luck, hence were used in a range of situations like a kitchen decoration in northern Europe to welcome prosperity to house, in ships of Japan to protect fishermen from harsh storms. American farmers used to bury dolls to attain healthy crops. Most notably, healers believed and practiced invocation of pain and disease from a human body into a doll as a measure to cure the problem.
Around the world, among the dolls made by hand, socks dolls enjoy a special place as they are easy, soft, and washable. Their look and feel can be altered with types of stuffings and the design used, hence they make a unique collection of dolls. They are also considered apt for doll clothing. Here the rate of stuffing determines the doll experience, less stuffing makes it soft and fluffy while more amount turns it firm and solid. Sock doll making is one of the easily executed activities with the least investment, bestowed with the perks of fair employability and skill development scopes. Most of the hand-made doll units are run by women around the country, thus unfolding their passion for stitching and earning a living through it. These dolls in various colors, designs, and sizes are more popular in the shape of human beings. Today, dolls not only provide a diversion but also a colorful canvas for depicting Indian life in its excess of cultural beauties. An institute named Rachana Kala Mahavidyalaya is a place where doll-making training is given to artisans. It is situated in Ahmednagar, in the state of Maharashtra. Mr. Prashant Shekatkar is the principal of this institute. The institute has multiple courses related to art and handicrafts, it was started in the year 1998. Mrs. Varsha Shekatkar is the founder member of Rachana Kala Mahavidyalaya institute.
