Maharashtra: 86-year-old Pune man crafts handmade Japanese, Indian dolls

At 86, Jayant Sathe, spends most of his waking hours crafting handmade dolls - Japanese and Indian - at his workshop in Maharashtra's Pune.

At the age of 55, he left a job as a mechanical engineer and started his own workshop and plunged headlong into doing something that had fascinated him since his childhood - being an artist.

"Although I wanted to be an artist, I choose engineering as my career. But at the age of 55, I realised that I have fulfilled my family duties and can pursue my passion of being an artist," Sathe told ANI.

"I started off with pottery and ceramic painting. The inspiration came to me to make the handmade dolls after I came across Chinese-made Japanese dolls in Mumbai. I had learnt the art of making Japanese dolls from a doll-maker in Mumbai," Sathe recalls.

He started off by making Japanese dolls. "This is because Japanese dolls are supposed to be the best specimens of handicraft."
Over the years, Sathe has had a variety of Japanese dolls built in his collection including that of a Japanese child, a woman and Ninja Warriors.

"It is very difficult to make Japanese dolls as the difference between each doll is mostly with their hairstyle only," he said.

The Pune-based artist said he has read a variety of books based on Japanese dolls to evolve his skills.

Besides Japanese dolls, he also works hard on making Indian handcrafted dolls. He has fashioned many dolls representing Maratha Mavala, Warkari, and other communities in India.

(ANI)