Coming into Etikoppaka, a small town in Andhra Pradesh reminds one of childhood days, of vivid, sparkling wooden toys and colorful objects that were the source of endless joy.
This town of Andhra Pradesh has an age-old tradition of toy making. The toys are usually made of wood. The wood is soft and has a fine grain. Women and children pick it up from nearby hills and leave it to dry in the courtyards. The workplace and tools are primitive. It is a wonder that with these primitive tools, objects of such skill originate here.
In 1906, Sri C.V.Padmanabha Raju, a landlord of Etikoppaka, brought colored lac from Chennai. The local villagers made toys using the soft lightwood and colored lac.
Lacquering is done on a lathe, hand or machine operated. For making slender and delicate items, the hand lathe is considered suitable. Dry lac is pressed against the item to be lacquered and then exposed to heat. The wooden base is continually rotated for uniform application. It speaks of the skill of the craftsman as he uses different colors and yet manages to get uniform shine on them.
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