For me, the love for toys is immense and I am sure toys excite interest in people of all age groups. Toys are like a gateway to the past and hold numerous memories. The fights with your friends, tricks that we used to fool our parents and the engineer in you assembling the parts from scratch and so on. But as time passed, the relaxed and innocent childhood gradually gave way to a more rigid and competitive world.
Tired of the daily routine and the peer pressures that cause anxiety, toys help me tide over hard times.
This would often get myself in trouble with my father, who thinks that for a 23 year old, playing with toys is a serious offence. I know that as we grow up there are certain responsibilities that one should fulfil but that does not mean we should put an end to little things that keeps us excited and happy every day. So I had to purchase them secretly by partnering with my mother who is on my side in this battle. And now I have more toys that I could open an outlet of my own. But this appetite for toys is directed towards a particular kind.
The usual not-so-pleasing and unsustainable Chinese toys that crowd our markets do not interest me any more. Rather it’s our very own locally made traditional toys that are unique, charming and delightful. In this quest for our tradition, I was able to discover more.
In my childhood, I was not aware of the sheer diversity of toys and was happy with quite a few. As I grew up, I was astonished at the variety and beauty of traditional Indian toys. But what was shocking to see is that these toys do not find a fair share of the market.
Born in Tamil Nadu, I was lucky to be surrounded by three beautiful toy hubs. The toys of Channapatna in Karantaka, Kondapalli in Andhra Pradesh and Tanjore in Tamil Nadu. But to see these toys losing out to cheap Chinese toys, despite having a rich legacy, is disheartening. The craftsmanship and patience that goes into their creation is immeasurable. These toys are made from a certain special wood, and vegetable dyes safe for children are used. This keeps their shine for a lifetime and the dolls come to life once the final touch is given. Sustainable practices have always been a part of our culture and these toys are an apt example.
Interacting with artisans and getting to know about the manufacturing process is a delight for every toy lover. They take so much care in the quality and beauty of the product. But seeing some of these wooden toys, I remember my childhood days when I bought similar such wooden toys for a cheaper price. When I questioned the shopkeeper for the higher price, he pointed to me that those could be of Chinese origin and only time could tell the difference.
The problem with the dying traditional toy industry is that it could not afford to produce at a larger scale and sell at affordable prices, for a variety of reasons: decline in the number of people engaged in production, intermediaries who then sell the products at much higher prices, lack of incentives from government, lack of innovation, branding and marketing, and smaller units failing to compete with larger ones and so on. Thus they do not get enough profit to carry on this tradition. Further, we do not get to see many outlets selling such toys and I think it’s the parents who should come forward to buy them so that children can play safely and the tradition thrives.
We have been promoting “Make in India” and “Vocal for Local”, but there is no significant improvement for the toy industry.
rohithvaron@gmail.com
