Banarsi wooden toys come alive
The traditional lacquered toys, now batteryopearted are poised to hit domestic as well as international markets
VARANASI: The wooden toy engine displayed in a shop here is no longer dormant. It starts chugging at the press of a button, the wooden lantern glows and the chariot rolls forward.
The famous lacquered wooden toys of Varanasi, known for antiquity, beauty, craft and the ability to stay contemporary, are coming alive, in a designer and electric ‘avatar’ for having a synergy with the ever changing global market and its demand.
These traditional wooden toys, including train engine, carts, chariots, and lanterns are now battery-operated, courtesy state awardee designer craftsman Rajkumar Singh.
Singh started working on making electric wooden toys last November and succeeded in operating the wooden train engine with battery. Later wooden chariots, wooden carts and wooden lanterns were also fitted with batteries.
“The new concept of wooden toys has got a very good response from the buyers in the domestic market. People like them,” said Singh and added that many people bought them for decorations while children purchased them for play.
“The electric avatar of wooden toys is being liked by the buyers, especially children, in domestic markets. Battery operated wooden toys, including train engines, wooden carts, chariots and lanterns are all set to land in international market. Initially, we are making 100 sets of each of these wooden toys for export.”
These toys will be exported to Russia, Germany, France, Australia, USA and also Sri Lanka, Japan and Thailand. After seeing response of the buyers in the foreign countries, the electric wooden toys, including train engines would be produced in bulk for the export, added Singh.
A post graduate in fine arts, Singh learnt the craft of shaping wood into toys from his father, national merit awardee craftsman Rameshwar Singh, carving gods and goddesses for three decades.
Singh said that wooden parrots, myna, elephants, horses and chariots were much in demand in domestic markets, while Russian dolls, Indian dolls and traditional Indian couple were in demand abroad. These toys were being made in new designs and would be battery operated, which would give a boost to their demand in domestic as well as international markets. Rameshwar Singh is quite enthusiastic after getting an assurance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who spoke to him via video conferencing after inaugurating the toy fair. Singh said, “I am thankful to PM Modi for assuring us all possible support for promotion of wooden toys. His assurance has acted as a catalyst and encouraged all the artisans for innovation in wooden toy making. We are working on new designs while maintaining antiquity and exclusiveness of the toys.”
Singh is the son of late Ramkhilawan Singh, who was popularly known as Bhishma Pitamah of wood craft and toy making. He played a crucial role in reviving wooden toy making in Varanasi over three decades ago when this craft was dying, said Dr Rajnikant who is credited with getting GI tag to 13 handicraft items, including wooden toys in Kashi. The GI man is working for getting GI tag to 51 handicraft, handloom and agricultural products of different states of the country.
The wooden toys made in Kashi are exclusive in design and diversity. Wooden toys on mythological characters are also made here. The artisans also make beautiful masks, which are used by the actors in Ramleela. In addition, toys like ghunghuna, jhunjhuna, different birds, horses, elephants, carts and many more are made of wood.
Dr Rajnikant said idols of deities were very popular and high in demand in Mauritius and certain other countries.
Omprakash Sharma, another state awardee craftsman, is expert in making wooden idols of deities, he said.
According to him, a common facility hub equipped with a training centre for diversification in designs of wooden toys, a raw material depot and proper packaging centre should be set up in Kashi so that the artisans may be aware of the designs of toys in demand in domestic as well as international market.
Varanasi wooden toys’ annual domestic and international market together is around Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore. Out of it, annual export was roughly around worth Rs 5 crore, he says.
Divisional commissioner, Varanasi, Deepak Agarwal said, “A concrete plan has been made for promoting export of the wooden toys and other handicraft items made in Kashi. As part of the plan, craftsmen and artisans are being imparted training in design diversification.”
He said a group of artisans had already been imparted training, including soft skills so that they may be aware of various online platforms to sell their products. The artisans are also imparted knowledge of basic financial literacy, including foreign exchange or forex and process to get their product registered for export. Additional director (handicrafts) Abdullah said under the divisional commissioner, efforts were being made to upgrade the skills of craftsmen.