India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.
– Mark Twain
It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to the superlative mountains that overshadow it. Perhaps the only thing more difficult than being indifferent to India would be to describe or understand India completely. The term North Indian Culture officially describes the cultural heritage of the eight North Indian states of Punjab, Uttarakhand Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh (Union Territory), Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttarpradesh (which itself means “Northern State”). Other states which are not formally part of North India, but which are traditionally, culturally, and linguistically — seen to be so are Gujarat, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar. North Indian culture reflects the diversity of traditions and customs of the vast region it encompasses. North Indian Culture is mainly in Sanatana traditions and customs, with the assimilation and impact from — other cultures over long periods of history. Their religion and customs reflect in festivals and celebrations especially in toys mainly they used sticks, mud, and cloth to make toys. The following article will be helpful to know more about their tradition and practices and how effectively they were used in toy making which may help to carry their tradition to the next generation.
PUNJAB
Traditional Punjabi toys include chankana (a toy with a whistle), ghuggu (rattle box for babies), lattoo (spinning top), handwai (kitchen sets), gudda guddi, and charkha (lady spinning yarn at the wheel). These were traditionally made of kharia mitti (porous mud). Over the years, wood replaced the mud.
GUJARAT
Gujarat has been well known for its unique style of toy making by their stunning animal toys made of embroidered or elegant fabrics. The vibrancy incorporated in their animated form attracts any beholder especially kids of all age groups.
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Wood carving is a very old art form. The walnut wood carving of Kashmir is famous worldwide for its complex designs. The artists produced many items for home and commercial articles etc. Dolls of walnut wood are very beautifully carved with complex designs and have original brilliance. Walnut wood is a soft wood which makes it highly suitable for carving. The preparation of the dolls involves selecting the tree first. Three parts of the tree are involved? the trunk, branches, and roots. The branches have light-colored wood and the trunks are the darkest. Branches have no veins while the trunks have the strongest noticeable veins. All these factors when carefully selected give a unique texture to the finished piece.
UTTAR PRADESH
Varanasi and Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh are famous for their wooden lacquerware and wooden toys. Designs are created with the natural veins of wood. These toys are made without any joints and are attractive and safe playthings for children. The craftsmen here claim to belong to the Kunder Kharadi Samaj. This craft plays a pivotal role in the lives of the artisans since when a child is born a new lathe is added to the family possessions. In fact, when a marriage is being fixed the boy’s family makes sure that the bride-to-be is familiar with the lathe. Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh was once the largest toy-producing center in India. It is an ancient craft, where the toys are made from wood. Sets of birds, animals, musicians, and dance ensembles are also available packed in boxes.
MAHARASHTRA, UDAIPUR, BIHAR, RANCHI, JHARKHAND, AND NAGALAND
Sawantwadi toys
Sawantwadi toys Sawantwadi, Maharashtra is famous for its wooden toy craft and the Ganjifa playing cards. Made from the Pangara tree and mango tree wood, these are crafted by the Chitari or Chitrakar community that migrated from Karwada. Seasoned mango tree wood is cut and then chiseled into toy parts. The cutouts are then sanded and painted and assembled to create the toy.
UDAIPUR TOYS
Udaipur is a big center for wooden toys. The craftsmen use the local wood ?doodhia? which is soft and can be finely chiseled and shaped. The toys are lacquered and polished with leaves of a flowering cactus to give them a better look and increase their life. The large variety of toys made in Udaipur includes the cart drawn by a sparrow, kitchen sets, a grinder, cradle on a stand, gas lantern, gramophones, trains, cars, jeeps, airplanes, counting stands, and clock towers. Animal figures include horses, camels, and elephants. Udaipur is also famous for imitation dry fruit which bears a striking resemblance to real fruits.
BASSI AND JAIPUR
Bassi in Chittorgarh district is another noted center for wooden toys where the entire village is engaged in wood-carving and in making wooden products. Jaipur too is very well known for cloth dolls and toys which are generally dyed and stuffed with waste material. These toys are beautifully decorated with colorful paper with expression writ large on their faces.
BIHAR
DARBHNGA
BIHAR The horse and rider toys of Darbhanga are very famous. Toys are composed of many different materials such as clay, mud, wood, cloth, etc. The making of clay toys and images is done seasonally. Once the festive season is over then the artists make the necessary household utensils. Crafted images are made in many different designs. Bamboo dolls are also crafted in Bihar.
RANCHI
RANCHI Crafts persons at Ranchi make attractive wooden toys that are painted in nice and soothing colors. The figures of the King- Queen and mother and child are the famous ones. Spinsters and housewives make cloth dolls which are sold during the festival seasons. These dolls are seen during the festive seasons. Chota Nagpur also has artists who work on wooden toys. The figures which have religious sentiments are to be praised as the artists spend a lot of time in making the features of each doll which make them look. Black lines are used to outline the features.
NAGALAND
NAGALAND ‘The Little Naga’ dolls from Ikali’s Studio resemble Japanese Kokeshi dolls with wooden bodies draped in the handwoven textiles of Nagaland’s various tribes. They are not simply decorative items but carry the added symbolism of a tribe’s cultural markers right down to the tiny neck pieces and headgear. Each doll draws together a range of local expertise and skills and is a testament to the skill of local artisans. “slow and painstaking process”. It involves sourcing seasoned wood and getting a carpenter to carve the dolls; working with weavers to produce the miniature versions of their traditional wear, taking care to get the tribal symbols right as well as proportions; then there is polishing and hand painting their faces; draping the shawls and mekhelas; fixing the hair and headgear, bead necklaces and finally, ear
Cow dung toys of Odisha
toys made from cow dung have severed as cheap substitutes for wooden and metal toys, especially for marginalized communities. The raw material is free and the production cost is negligible almost. They are mostly made by women of the stone carvers community, these brightly painted toys are rustic in design. Birds and animals are popular motifs as are statuettes of lard Jagannath and his companions. These are sold in local markets. cow dung enjoyed a great deal of value in India and is thought of as holy as well as having antiseptic properties.
Asharikandi
Using traditional tools and equipment like Kodal, Pitna, knives, and Kathi, the artisans of Asharikandi, a village in Assam’s Dhubri district, employ ancient artistic techniques to deftly craft figurines of deities, animals, birds, and also objects from ordinary life. These are primarily inspired by traditional beliefs and aesthetics and reflect on the history of the religious and social customs that are prevalent in the region. Clay, sand, straw and ‘kabish’, prepared from red clay, are some of the basic raw materials that are used to mold these toys. The figurine of the ‘Hatima putul’, a symbol of cultural significance, depicts a mother with elephant-like ears holding a child in her arms or her lap. With an elongated face, this style is used as a foundation for creating different postures and designs for various other terracotta dolls
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