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TOYS IN ANDHRA PRADESH
Andhra Pradesh is very rich in its range and variety of toys. The best known and with the widest range are the toys made in the village of Kondapalli by a community called Aryakshatriyas. Their toys are made of a kind of lightwood, which is locally known as punki.
Each wooden piece cut to make a specific item is subjected to a process of slow heating to draw out all the moisture. The different parts of the image are carved separately. They are then joined together. Crushed tamarind seeds are used as an adhesive. After this adhesive dries, another adhesive called lime glue is applied.
Both water and oil colors are used to paint the toy or figurine. Traditionally the colors were very bright. Nowadays muted colors are used. Painting is a delicate process done with soft and thin paintbrushes made of goat’s hair.
DIFFERENT CATEGORIES
The toys can roughly be categorized as those representing scenes from actual life, those representing deities and others that capture animal figures. In the first series, they make scenes that may contain more than one figure. For example, it is common to find a simple single hut with a woman cooking, man climbing a palm tree, a woman milking a cow or pounding grain or spinning a wheel or youngsters minding sheep. These are some of the other activities captured in wood.
Sometimes animal figures can be seen in household scenes too. Bright animal figures are made in Kondapalli and form the second series of toys.
The third series usually relate mythological stories. The very popular ones are the ten dolls, which represent the dasavatar or the ten incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Representations of Shiva and all the lesser gods of the Hindu pantheon are common.
In the deity series, the well known, but an entirely different style of toys is known as Tirupathi dolls. Made within a limited range, they consist largely of reproductions of the religious figures in the classical style as seen in sculptures in temples. The wood used is red in color, which gives the toy a distinction.
Some folk figures are also made. The dancing figures, in particular, are beautifully chiseled and have an air of dignity about them.
ANOTHER TOY MAKING CENTER
Nirmal, a village in Andhra Pradesh, is yet another toy making center. Story goes that it was here, that ancient craftsmen manufactured a material as glowing and enduring as gold, from herbal extraction! Even now, the predominant color in Nirmal toys is gold.
For small toys, punki wood is used and for the larger ones, teak is used in Nirmal. However, at one time Nirmal too used to make religious figures, but today it concentrates mainly on animal and bird figures.
Birds are generally shown flying and a flock of three to five makes a wall plaque. The less ornamented toys are made without application of color. Glue made of tamarind seeds boiled to the consistency of a paste is mixed with white clay and applied to the surface of the toys. Those decorated lavishly are dominated by the gold color. The peculiarity lies in the way the gold coloring is produced. Juices of two kinds of plants are boiled in linseed oil and the brilliant gold color is produced. Generally, the base color is black or natural mud.
Color, variety of designs and moods mark the toys for Andhra Pradesh. Today the designs are growing to meet the present day demands. One can have a board of lacquered knots and crosses. A red colored matrix is prepared with coins in different hues, which may be used as the knots or the crosses! Puppeteers have used their skill to make lampshades - the same figures, the same techniques; only they can now adorn the living room. The toy world of Andhra Pradesh is playing with the excitement of being futuristic.
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