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Another contraption is the wooden fan tied to the crib. The fan moves with the wind and keeps the child lying in it amused for hours together. The dugg duggi is another variant of the rattle. Traditional ones are made with wood and leather but improvisation takes place with paper. Paper is softened in water and used to form the core, which is then covered with paper and color. Strings, with mud balls or stones at the end, are attached to either side. The core is attached to a stick to resemble a lollipop. When the stick is shaken left to right, the mud balls or stones attached to the string on either side hit the core to produce sound.
Children in Kerala have another interesting item. A tender stem of the plantain tree is cut to about 14 inches. This stem is cut vertically (till midway) into three parts to resemble a stem with two leaves. When this is shaken, it makes a phat phat kind of sound. The advantage of such an object is that once it is crushed or broken another one can be fashioned almost immediately.
The abundant natural raw material present around the villages is used to fashion harmless, interesting and inexpensive toys. These toys are biodegradable and made from environment friendly products. Old clothes and other fabrics are used to make stuffed toys and animals. Rajasthani stuffed toys originated from these. The toys could be horses, elephants or birds to which are then added a dash of colour with old zari (gold thread) borders. Animals are also fashioned out of jute and coir.
Wood and clay are almost a part of all toys made in rural areas, as both are commonly available. The wooden cart, lakdi ki kathi is a legend. The pull cart with wheels trailing behind a child is a part of the Indian countryside. Made from wood and colored brightly, it may be in the shape of an animal or at times just a flat cart. Drawn with a string, it follows the child through mud and dust.
The dolls are made of clay and then dressed in cloth. Scenes of “ghar ghar” (house games) or the conducting of mock weddings are enacted with these clay dolls in many a village across the country. Clay and papier-mâché parrots, peacocks, elephants, horses, cows and goats are the repertoire of rural children.
The Kites
No account of toys is complete without kites. Kite flying is a passion in rural India. They come in all shapes and sizes with tails, decorated with bright colors, at times even made at home. Boys are virtually trained in the art of kite flying. Untrained boys are not even allowed to touch the kites. Their role is relegated to holding the spindle with the thread. With time they slowly graduate to holding up the kite to fly and finally learning to handle it. A boy is recognized only after he has successfully maneuvered his kite to bring down a couple of others.
Toys of Northern India
The use of toys in the celebration of festivals, apart from increasing the creativity and imaginative skills of children, help them to understand the cultural traditions and customs. In the North, during the festival of Janmashtami, colorful tableaus depicting the birth of Lord Krishna are created.
The children spend plenty of time getting hold of things to make the tableaus as authentic as possible. Clay models of Lord Krishna as a baby in a cradle; Krishna dancing surrounded by gopis or dancing on the hood of a cobra are all made by local toy makers and colored brightly. These are arranged within the tableau. Mountains, River Yamuna, huts and cows are also depicted within the tableau.
Similar to this is Dussehra (Navratri) celebration in the South, popularly called kollu. Dolls are arranged in steps for the nine days of the festival. The pair (male & female) red sandalwood doll from Tirupati is the most important part of the Kollu. This is clothed in beautiful fabrics or paper and adorned with jewelry.
Mainly clay images and figures of gods and goddesses are kept. The highlight of the Kollu is a replica of the shop of the local shopkeeper and his wife. The shop has utensils, clay items, clothes everything, which the local shopkeeper sells. Various rangoli (floor decorations), banners, handicrafts from beads and glass are made by the women folk. Other such festivals include the Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra and Durga Puja in the East.
In Punjab a very innovative method is followed to enhance the child’s creativity. Wheat flour dough is given to the child to mould it into any object he or she likes. The child can play with the dough safely. Dough alternates for the expensive plasticine.
Toys in South India
Apart from dolls, kitchen sets are another novelty in the South. The potter makes tinier versions of the pots, while the coppersmiths and bronze smiths make miniature vessels for the children to play with. The ceramic ware man makes little cups and mugs. These sets are replicas of all utensils used in the household.
Although most of the toys are meant to amuse the child, some of them have acquired the dimensions of crafts. This includes the traditional wooden toys made at Kondapally near Andhra Pradesh. Made from soft wood called ponki, the wood is further treated with boiled tamarind juice and lime paste. The toys are carved and painted in bright hues. The most famous toy carved is the Ambari elephant. Equally famous are the lacquered wooden toys of Ettikoppaka (in Andhra Pradesh). Made from a wood called ankudu, they are polished, lacquered and painted.
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