It is Navratri and Chennai’s streets in religious centres like Mylapore; Triplicane, Nanganallur and West Mambalam have become colourful with plenty of clay and paper mache dolls on sale for the Golu.

Over a hundred pairs of beady eyes look at us. Some of them freshly painted, they belong to golu dolls that stand rubbing shoulders at a golu doll-making unit in Madhampatti village, 32 kilometres ...

The narrow Ramasamy Asari Lane off South Veli Street, leads to the Siddha Nathan Swamy Temple. But that is not our destination. We follow the clunk of metal coming from behind and walk around the ...