The fascinating origins of Indian toys | #164
Do you remember Jungle Book on Doordarshan? 🥰
Hello friends
Barbie, the iconic doll that has captured hearts worldwide, is set to take center stage in her very own live-action movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. The movie has been marketed widely.
The hype around the movie got us thinking about toys. Especially toys made in India by talented artisans.
This Barbie is writing about Indian toys in this week’s newsletter.
Things we learnt this week 🤓
When we hear the word Terracotta, we associate it with pottery and statues, but not with toys. Asharikandi in Assam is home to a large terracotta industry and specializes in toys. The name Asharikandi comes from 2 words Ashar or Axar, which is the 3rd month in the Assamese calendar and Kandi which means ‘to shed tears’. This indicates monsoon which helps make the soil damp and is then used to make toys. It is said that the craft itself is as old as the Harappan civilization and people from Sindh region are said to have traveled and settled in this part of the world. Truly a mud-ern marvel.
Before being known as the bastion of Kaleen Bhaiya, Mirzapur was known for its wooden toys. The speciality of the toys here is that they are made from Koraiya wood - it is pliable and allows itself to be rendered into many shapes. And they are from a single piece - no nails or joints. But these days, the industry here is seeing a downturn, due to lack of wood as well as a lack of artisans. In the 80s, the felling of the Koraiya wood tree was banned and the artisans had to shift to using Eucalyptus - which is harder and more difficult to use. Despite all the challenges, we hope the artisans of Mirzapur wood’nt give up.
We cannot talk about Indian toy industries and not mention Channapatna toys. It is said that Tipu Sultan once received a wooden craft piece gift from Persia, and fell in love with it. He invited Persians artisans to teach his people on how to make these wooden toys and this has been the livelihood of many artisans in Channapatna. Thanks to the proliferation of cheaper plastic toys, these days many artisans are struggling and have given up the art. The unseen effects of having a super fast highway between Bangalore and Mysore, has seen reduced access to the village of Channapatna reducing their incomes even more. We give the final word to Dr Rajkumar.
Play with it and watch it
No matter what happens, do not bow down to anyone
From IWTK, with love 💌
The upcoming Barbie film is expected to be a satirical commentary on male patriarchy and women’s place in society. The trailer was a spectacular tribute to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001:A Space Odyssey. Watch it here.
The Jungle Book that aired on Doordarshan is a dubbed version of the anime show Janguru Bukku Shōnen Mōguri. Know more here.
Only In India 🇮🇳
Wonder how the accused will be able to answer the question ‘Bro what are you in jail for’ with a straight face. Full marks for trying though.
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❤️ IWTK
Traditional toys of Thanjaore, Tamil Nadu known as Thalayatti Bommai is another beautiful kind that I love.. Great write up. Cheers