Channapatna Toys, 'Kahaniya'

KAHANIYA

Untold stories from Channapatna

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KAHANIYA Untold stories from Channapatna

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When I bring to you colored toys, my child, I understand why there is such a play of colors on clouds, on water, and why flowers are painted in tints when I give colored toys to you, my child.

When I sing to make you dance I truly know why there is music in leaves, and why waves send their chorus of voices to the heart of the listening earth When I sing to make you dance I truly know why there is music in leaves, and why waves send their chorus of voices to the heart of the listening earth when I sing to make you dance.

When I bring sweet things to your greedy hands I know why there is honey in the cup of the flowers and why fruits are secretly filled with sweet juice when I bring sweet things to your greedy hands.

When I kiss your face to make you smile, my darling, I surely understand what pleasure streams from the sky in morning light, and what delight that is which the summer breeze brings to my body when I kiss you to make you smile.

-RABINDRANATH TAGORE

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This project would not have been possible without the help and kind support of various individuals. Every person we met or spoke to helped us in moving a step further towards the betterment of this project. We are extremely thankful to NIFT Bengaluru for providing us with an opportunity to be a part of this cluster project.We would like to thank Mr. Sanjeev C.M Assistant Professor, for guiding us through the process of documenting the craft and going through different presentation ideas. Also, we would like to thank Mr. Muraleedhar,Co- Founder of Maya Organic for making us realise the importance of craft and sharing valuable information.We are grateful to Dr. Yathindra for introducing us to this craft as well as giving us the motivation to go ahead with it.We are grateful to Mr. Sushanth, Prof. of NID Bengaluru for providing us with all the necessary onformation through his research papers and documentations. We would also like to convey our sincere gratitudes to all the artisans for sharing their experiences and work with us.Last but not the least, we would like to specially thank our parents, friends and family for supporting us.

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PREFACE

Childhood memories are always cherished by the happy and colorful moments lived. That innocent stage of life offered so much happiness and we could say that happiness was delivered to us through colorful toys. Toys were always a sweet combination of fun and learning.

Simple in forms yet exciting in nature. The time which existed before gadgets took over childhood is always worth re- living. The toy town Channapatna is one vibrant land to visit to walk back in time to the old traditional wooden toys. This blessed land has artisans who put in their heart and soul in creating the most beautiful glossy lac ware wooden toys across the nation. The toys that take birth through the hands of artisans are fully eco- friendly and non toxic and are been specially taken care of to make it children friendly. Despite the colourless life that surrounds them, these creators of wonders still hold a special place in a child’s life. They deserve to take immense pride in carrying on the ancient family tradition of toy making.

A dying craft some may say. But a craft that touches numerous tender little hearts with its incredible range of toys can’t be left to erode.

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Major Craft Oriented Areas Cauveri Kalanagar Maya Organic ChannapatnaCrafts Park Neelasandra Masjid Gali Area Katerpillar

Andhra Pradesh

Bengaluru

Mysore

Tamil Nadu

Bangalore - Mysore Road

- 17 hway

Hig State

Chikkamalur

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DAI RE

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MAP OF KARNATAKA & CHANNAPATNA

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Al Ameen Girls School

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MASJID GALI AREA

Eidgah

Bharat Art & Crafts

Ajmal Handicrafts

Cauveri

KALANAGAR AREA

SBI

Taj Hotel

KSRTC

Anugraha Lodge

Katerpillar

SATNOOR CIRCLE

Police Station

Cocoon

Maya Organic

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Channapatna Crafts Park

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a sandr

Neela

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A Shore of Toy Tales Beholds stories of the birth place of traditional Wooden Toys 15

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Shore of Toy Tales

60 kms away from the mayhem of Bengaluru is located every kid’s fantasy and every adult’s reminisce, a small town called CHANNAPATNA located in the Ramanagara district known for it’s ancient art of toy making.

The Ramanagara Town was ruled by the British Officer “Sir Barry Close”, (1756–1813), in preIndependence times, hence Ramanagara was earlier called as CLOSEPET. It was renamed as RAMANAGARA by the former Chief Minister of Karnataka State Sri Kengal Hanumanthaiah.

The Ramanagara district which was part of the Bangalore Rural district was bifurcated and reconstituted in the year 2007 with the District Head Quarters at Ramanagara Taluk

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along with three other taluks viz., Channapatna, Kanakapura and Magadi. Ramanagara district includes the Bidadi industrial area, which houses the manufacturing units of Toyota and Coca-Cola, and a 1400 MW combined cycle gas-based power plant.

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The art of art, the glory of expression and sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity -Walt Whitman

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oday’s world is is a ground which takes us along the growing technologies and developments. The entire world is on a race to secure their careers and to assure luxurious comforts. Between this strenuous phase of life is when one would want to go back to those wonder years of childhood where we believed and cherished in the specks of fantasy in toys.

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What the Toy land holds for us.

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assing through Channapatna, you will be unmoved by the nondescript dusty landscape. The toy land boasts a history of 200 years in the toy making art. It is known for it’s trademark toys made out of ivory wood and natural dyes.

A blip on the Mysore Road, this town is however well known for its unique wooden toys and lac ware. The land is divided into 31 wards for which elections are held every 5 years. Major occupations persuaded in the area are wooden lathe turned toys, twisting of raw silk, coconut, mango harvesting, animal husbandry and farming. The town is also known as Gombegala Ooru in Kannada, literally meaning the toy town. Known as the toy town, Channapatna is a place worth visiting. Interestingly, the craft owes its existence to Tipu Sultan, who invited Persian artists to teach the craft to local artisans.

If there is one thing that rivals the Pipli lamps as an increasingly ubiquitous Indian souvenir, it is the Channapatna toy. The toys come in a multitude of shapes and sizes, and the bright happy shiny colors make them irresistible for any age group.

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The Begining Stories of the evolution, stories of the begining 23

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The Begining

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Without tradition, art is a flock of sheap without a shepherd.

Without innovation, it is a corpse.

-Winston Churchill

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he origin of these toys can be traced to the reign of Tipu Sultan who invited artisans from Persia to train the local artisans in the making of wooden toys in 18th century. As historic records suggest, this area was under the Chola empire and later on the Hoysalas. Bavas Miyan is regarded as the father of Channapatna toy. He adopted Japanese technology for toys making and help the local artisans improve their art.

For nearly two centuries, ivory-wood was the main wood used in the making of these toys, though rosewood and sandalwood were also occasionally used. Lacquer ware industry began as a household craft that catered to the local tourist market of Karnataka. Many artisans sold their wares on the roadside at Channapatna and productivity was low. In the last twenty years, the industry has grown rapidly. It now exists as small and medium scale enterprises, serving a large export market. Due to the phenomenal growth and the influence of market forces from abroad, the nature of employment, the demands on artisans and the character of the artisans has changed dramatically.

north western state of Punjab. After a period of experimentation, he introduced study of the craft at the Industrial School in Channapatna. Bavasmia also mechanized the craft through the power lathe.

Though Bavasmia introduced lac-turnery to encourage the Chitragar, their response was hesitant, and so admission was opened to students of other castes and religions. Bavasmia convinced Muslims and scheduled caste members to join the course; even today, the majority of Channapatna craftspeople belong to these communities.

The lacquering art of Channapatna is known for its mix of vegetable dye and food grade pigments, with natural residue obtained from the trees of Amaltaas and Kusum in West Bengal and Orissa.

The popularity of these lac ware toys have been grown over the years. With the introduction of modern technology to this traditional craft, there have been few changes that took place over few generations of artisans, but the design, skill and technique is still inspired from the traditional practices that was followed decades ago.

As early as 1892, hereditary artists called “Chitragars” were engaged in wood-turnery which is the basis of lac ware artistry. Bavasmia, a local artist, is known as the originator of the craft in Channapatna and nearby areas. He went to study lac ware in the

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Beyond Craft..

Beyond Culture Stories from the homes.. where souls speak..

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The blessed art itself is the main culture and lifestyle of the residents of the wonderland of toys. The kids grow up to the lullabies of their parents working on the beautifully crafted toys. Families here have completely devoted their lives to craft these beautiful toys regardless of the monetary returns. But with the passing of time the outlook of people have started changing and they no longer want the next generation to follow this traditional craft. They feel they have devoted enough time and effort for this craft and want their children to lead a much secure life.

The craft is rich in its authenticity and is being respected for it across places. The residents still give due respect to this toy making craft as it has always been their means for daily bread. This craft has also uplifted the women and gave employment which helped them gain dignity among people rather than being just home makers.

Channaptna is a beautiful mix of different religions and cultures which unites for the art. Their passion and devotion towards the art beautifully bound the differences of classes and religions. This toy land has fairly skilled people who live to work and work to live regardless of the kind of job they are indulged in, whether it be a toy maker ,a butcher, stone crusher etc.

This land is one of the most welcoming land which is home to around 20,000 families who shows interest to the age old art .These families have around 8000 artisans working in around 254 small industries which is unfortunately declining. Apart from this age old craft, the city is also known for the tilling and production of raw silk from the cocoons and also has a good amount of coconut produce.

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Beyond Craft..

Beyond Culture

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All art is a struggle to be, in a particluar sort of way, virtuous -Iris Murdoch

Despite the wide variety of cultures, the major languages spoken here are Kannada, Urdu and Hindi.

This could also vary to a mix of these languages and a primitive version of dumb charades for the outsiders and people who cant speak Kannada or Urdu.

The residents of Channapatna are always happy to share their knowledge on the craft and take pride in how city is known for their craft. The people are more conservative and orthodox as compared to the busy cities of Bengaluru. They wear abayas and go out or make it a point to cover their heads with dupattas out of modesty. Women generally stay indoors taking care of the family and helping their husbands in craft. Most of the children are sent to nearby cities like Bengaluru or Mysuru for their higher education.

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Channapatna is home to many religions, however Hindus and Muslims occupy the majority. This blend of religions also provides platform for various cultural events like dance, songs, and other religious events all beautifully embedded in Kannada culture.

The dances of Channapatna bears resemblance to that of its neighbouring areas such as the myriad cultures of Mysuru and Tamil Nadu which is evidently visible in their dance styles. Most of the religious folk dances of the region is named after the worshipped deities or their symbol or the instruments used in the performances. The dancers are also adorned in colorful attires with anklets that makes rhythmic sounds to their steps.

Channapatna also has a rich legacy of classical dance forms like that of Mysuru style bharatnatyam, which is the oldest and most popular form of classical dance. Kuchipudi and Kathak is also performed in this region due to the strong presence of the Muslim community.

In this present day fast moving world, nothing strikes the chord like the music that gives the taste of a different culture. This region can assure to create classic pieces of Carnatic music. These music generally recites stories that teach man about values.

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The Journey of the making The story of a toy journey, from the birth till the present

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Introduction to Raw Material

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Introduction to Raw Material Wood: The wood mainly used in this craft is ‘Hale’(Local name) which is scientifically known as Wrightia Tinctoria, This wood is light in colour, almost a shade between off white and yellow. It is an odourless soft wood that is close grained; moderately hard and is best suited for turning and lac application. The wood does not require any chemical treatment. Also when worked upon, the wood does not chip and break and leaves a powder like residue which can be used for other purposes like the making of agarbathis etc.

Lac: Lac is a natural resin secreted by an insect known as the ‘Lac Beetle’ or the ‘Laccifer Lacca’. Only the female bug produces lac and it takes 10,000 bugs to make 500gms of Lac.Lac or scale insects live on particular variety of trees that grow in India which is usually found in places like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Lac is obtained in flake form as it has to be scraped off from the trees. When heated it melts at a low temperature and hence is mouldable which is further combined together to obtain the desired form. The secretion which forms thin crust on the bark of the tree is scraped off and processed to obtain lac. Lac is nontoxic. The highest quality lac is referred to as ‘Button Lac’. It is light and golden coloured and can cost much. Second is a medium quality brown lac is seen in dark black shade.

Leaves: Talegiri also know as Screw Pine leaf is the polishing agent used in this craft. The tree grows locally and is also easily available all over Karnataka. Being found on the coast and along the banks of rivers, canals, fields and ponds, the screw pine often has aerial roots. The leaf is an important component in lac ware polishing. It imparts a translucent finish to the product. The cost of the leaves varies and cost around 20Rs for 100 number bunch. Raw material like coconut oil, sand paper, wire and springs are other minute but important elements that are locally available in the hardware stores.

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Preparation and Storage of Raw Material Wood Preparation

Kiln Seasoning

When wood comes freshly cut from the mills, it has high water content which is not suitable to make the product. Thus the water content has to be fried out. As wood has the tendency to absorb water the wood has to be dried out initially before it can be used. This requires dry storage of wood till the water content dries out completely. It is essential to make sure the wood is properly seasoned because non uniform swelling of the wood may cause the wood to crack. The process of drying the wood naturally or artificially is known as seasoning of wood and this is the primary preparation done before the wood is used.

Kiln Seasoning or artificial seasoning of timber is another process of wood seasoning. Here the wood is fired to dry up its water content. For this method of seasoning the wood is stacked up in solid manner with the fire at the ends. The process of kiln drying basically consists of introducing heat. For this purpose, the timber is initially stacked in chambers called wood drying kilns, which are fitted with equipment for manipulation and control of the temperature and the relative humidity of the drying air and its circulation rate through the timber stack.Kiln drying provides a means of overcoming the limitations imposed by erratic weather conditions. In kiln drying as in air drying, unsaturated air is used as the drying medium. Due to the kiln seasoning, the wood develops a dark layer on top of the wood which is Carbon deposits. The top layer is then scraped off to attain the desired look.

Air-Drying Air-Drying is the process where the timber is dried by exposing it to the air. The technique of air-dying consists mainly of making a stack of the wood on raised foundations, in a clean, cool, dry and shady place. The duration of drying largely depends on climatic conditions, and on the air movement {expose to the wind).

For successful air-drying, a continuous and uniform flow of air throughout the pile of the timber needs to be arranged.

Coating the planks with nay substance that is relatively impermeable to moisture can control the rate of loss of moisture: ordinary mineral oil is usually quite effective. Coating the ends of logs with oil or thick paint, improves their quality upon frying. Wrapping planks or logs in materials, which will allow same movement of moisture, generally works very well provided with coating of petrol/ gasoline or oil. Mineral oil will generally not soak in more than 1-2mm below the surface and is easily removed by planning when the timber is suitably dry. There are many ways of pilling the wood for seasoning, the most common practice of staking up the timber is in a hatched form with spaces in the middle for the air to circulate well and for the room to not get very humid.

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Wood Storing The wood is generally stored in chambers.

The seasoned wood needs to be kept in a place with unsaturated air and no humidity as wood has a tendency to absorb water and can develop odour.

When the wood absorbs water, it swells up. This swelling causes cracking of the wood. The wood is stored in piles and the wood is kept in a hatched pattern, so that the air circulation is maintained.

Tools The wood turning lathe forms the backbone in the making of the product.

A wood turning lathe rotates a piece of wood mounted between two fixed points.

The rotating wood is then shaped by tools held against the rotating wood and is then given the final finishes with sand paper.

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This commercial wood turning method has been practised from at least the 6th century BC, possibly for several hundred years.It is still not fully stated on when this method actually got implemented and is also to be noted that the earlier lathes were not made obsolete even when a new type came into existence.

The Bow Lathe The Bow Lathe is very similar to the strap lathe but the motive power is supplied by a bow. The string of the bow is wrapped around the work piece and a reciprocating motion is created by moving the bow back and forth. When the strap lathe requires two people to work it, the bow lathe requires only one.

The drawback about this lathe is that the power that can be generated is less and the crafting can be done only with one hand. In some cases the artisan uses his foot to help steady the tool. Due to these difficulties, it is hard for the artisans to work efficiently.Neelasandra is one place the artisans work on bow lathes.

All workers in that locality wholely work on the bow lathes. The artisans work on this using not just their hands to craft but also their feet to hold the lathe. One hand was used to make the lathe rotate with the help of bow and the other hand was used to shape the beads and one foot was used to hold the tool in place and to form support as they craft the beads.Kiln drying provides a means of overcoming the limitations imposed by erratic weather conditions. In kiln drying as in air drying, unsaturated air is used as the drying medium. Due to the kiln seasoning, the wood develops a dark layer on top of the wood which is Carbon deposits. The top layer is then scraped off to attain the desired look.

Motor lathe During the Industrial Revolution, wood lathes started becoming mechanized.

Turning power was produced by water wheels or steam engines and was transferred to the lathe using line shafts.

This advance technology allowed much faster and simpler carving. Beginning at the end of 19th century, electric motors began replacing mechanical power generation and line shafting.On the motor lathe the belt was attached to the motor the pole on the top. The motor caused the belt to rotate. One end of the lathe keeps rotating. One end of the lathe has

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the place to fit the wood and on the other end has a fan made out of plastic bottle the directs the dust away from their work space.

After the motor lathes, more advance lathes were introduced. These lathes did not need any man power. The design jus had to be fed into the computer and the lathe would imitate the pattern. These technically advanced machines can produce around 400-500 products in an hour or two. The production rate is very high in these machines and can perform complicated designs in no time.

Cutting and Filling Purpose The raw wood procured from the local market is allowed to dry and is then cut into logs with the help of jig-saw machines or rip saws. These cylindrical wood pieces are again cut according to the sizes required for the particular product and then fixed on the lathe with the help of a hammer. After the wood has been fixed on the lathe, there is series of tools used for shaping the wood running on the lathe are called Ulli in the local language upper surface of the wood that is the clipping or peeping of the bark, or removing the mud is called Upbrulli.

Mould compass is a round compass, used for holding the wood pieces. Another tool for the same purpose is a round compass, used for cutting the wood-log is called Katnaulli Chirana, is a tool used for finishing the inside portion of rings, bangles, hollow, pencil stand, etc. Another tool that can be used for this process is an inset. After the desired shape or form is achieved by the artisans he uses a sand paper to file and smoothen the surface so that the lac can be applied easily and smoothly.

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All About Tools 44

The simple tools like filers remain the same while the wood turning process has undergone a massive change. Toy making, year back, revolved around hand-driven lathe, which was a simple machine which was tough to use . It involved both the hands and leg to run it. The lathe was manually driven by hand and meanwhile filing or polishing was done by the other hand simultaneously. After technological advancement and better economy, most of the artisans began using motor driven lathes. Now in major areas of Channapatna, all the factories have the new lathe machine. But hand lathe can still be seen in a few rural areas, it is still practiced patriotically and the work is done with equal efficiency and precision. The finished wood pieces match the quality of the new lathe products.

Sourcing On speaking with the artisans we got to know the most of the tools or sometimes all the tools that they use are made by themselves. They see the kind of product that needs to be made according to that they design the shape of the tool required or get it made from a junkyard because it is customised as well as cost effective.The artisans get the tools made from either blacksmiths or purchase it from local markets. The master craftsman used a single tool for all the required purposes.

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Usage The tool used for cleaning the upper surface of the wood i.e. bark, chipping or peeling wood or mud is called Upbrulli.Mould compass is a tool with long sharp hands, used for holding the wood piece.

Another tool for the same purpose is round comass used for holding wood pieces that are curvaceous and have larger diameters.The tool used for cutting the wood pieces that have been polished, from the parent wood-log is called Katnaulli.Chirana, is tool used for finishing the inside portion of rings, bangles, hollow wood, pencil stand etc.

Maintainance The tools that they use get blunt over a period of time hence required sharpening and after repeatedly being sharpened sometimes need to be replaced depending upon the amount of work being done using the tool. When a particular tool is used repeatedly it tends to become blunt and to sharpen that they need to grind it, which results in the reduction in the size of the tool. When this process is carried on again the tool tends to finish hence is replaced with a new one. The maintenance of the tool is taken

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care of by the artisans themselves. They all grind their tools and sharpen them themselves, its only when it comes to replacing it, if they can manage on their own they get it done in the junkyards. There is no specific amount of time after which the tool after which the tools need to be sharpened but a regular check is done for the tools to see if any of them need any sort of help.

Sand Paper After the desired shape or form is achieved by the artisans he uses a sand paper to file and smoothen the surface so that the lac can be applied easily and smoothly.

Lac Application Lac pieces that are prepared beforehand (colourmaking) are used to colour that wood. Lac is pressed against the wooden piece fixed on the lathe and eventually colour is imparted because of the heat produced due to friction.

Finishing After colouring, a screw pine leaf is pressed against the wood with a little touch of oil to add lustre and shine to the product. Oil is sprinkled on the leaf now and then so that it does not dry up.

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Assembly

Quality Check

Only after all the different parts of the product are finished, it is sent for assembling. This mainly includes putting together the different parts of the product in a particular manner to give it a recognizable form or shape. This may be done by mixing and matching the breads and adding of other pieces together to make it look beautiful and finished. Most of the time, nylon or cotton threads are used to put the breads together Other attachment like metal rings springs and chains are also used to assembly are given a purchase order which comprises of the products, its quantity, assembly cost etc. This task is done mostly by women at their homes itself.

There is an inspection that is done for all the products when they’re completed and assembled the way required according to the purchase order given to them. They are given a technical drawing of the product along with its part drawings and assembly drawings and an instructions manual as to how the product have to be put together. All these products are 100% handmade hence require a thorough check just to see that everything is intact and as per the requirements.

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Packaging

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These wood turned toys and products are of very vibrant colures. Almost all products have a colour combination of at least 2-3 colours in it. There were products like bangles, toys, dolls, which had the use of poster paint on it as a decorative technique. The painting was done with normal water soluble poster colours which were later varnished to add the gloss and make the paint water resistant.We noticed that not many people in Channapatna were giving the packaging of their products the attention they required. Only Maya Organics spend almost 40% of the cost into their packaging of the products.

They say that these products have to be travelled to distant places and hence require the safety as well as the touch of the art and craft so that the customers can receive it as a gift and not just an entity. With no proper backing or marketing, the Channapatna toy industry faced a financial crunch for more than a decade and was almost on the verge of dying out. However with the help of Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation the craft has been revived and artisans involved are being trained on changing trends in the industry, to help them keep abreast of the current scenario. Prototypes designed by master craftsmen are introduced to the local artisans, who use them to create well designed toys and dolls. The Government of Karnataka has also provided help by constructing a Lacquer were craft Complex, which has a manufacturing centre with 32 turning lathe

machines, at Channapatna.Channapatna wooden toys have national as well as international demand because of its unique colour and designs. These toys sold through government agencies and also through some private agencies. Especially in Karnataka the toys are usually sold through emporiums. Kaveri emporium at M.G. Road, Bangalore, Raheja Arcahe Koramangala, Bangalore etc are few examples.

Problems To increase visibility: Show casing and displaying the merchandising because people are working very hard and are getting a market where they can display their products. So basically the most important problem that we found was to increase visibility because more the artisans showcase their products more of the people will come to know about them and the craft will get a better recognition and demand.

Communicating the product as unique and with a sentimental Value:

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He took his pain and turned it into something beautiful.

Into something people can connect to.

And that is what good art does. It speaks to you. It changes you.

-Hannah Harrington

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No one wants to buy a thing which is common and is available in the market readily. There should be at least one striking feature that hooks the buyers to the product. So the product ought to be unique and it should have some sentimental value attached to it so as to grab more attention from the customers

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Where the toys take its forms Stories from the homes of toys, from where they belong

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Where the toys take its

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he streets of the toy town welcomes you with colorful toys in almost all notches of the houses. Channapatna is home to many skilled artisans with different skills.

As you take a walk along the dusty roads of the town, its easy to notice that different areas of the town works on different types of toys. The few major places that can be visited to understand the roots of this traditional crafts are Kalanagar, where almost every house has someone working on a toy in their verandahs, Neelasandra, where both men and women work only on the making of wooden beaded car seat mats. The Masjid area is also another place which has the un-organized sector of the artisans.

While these places show the true traditional art, Places like Maya Organic, Channapatna Crafts Park and Katerpillar works a step ahead and tries to incorporate new elements in this age- old craft according to the market demand. These places are organized and is run under the guidance of personnel.

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Kalanagar Kalanagar is one interesting place within channapatna which comprises of artisans working in their houses, a small unity where people work together under one roof and an organised working unit Cauveri Emporium. Kalanagar is an area developed by the government aimed to give better working conditions and an improved standard of living to these craftsmen. Layout is well organized for not only houses and toy manufacturing units but also local groceries, general stores and other such commercial spaces. As soon as we see a particular craft, each worker has one machine to himself on which he creates a particular craft. There are some people within the work room who sell toys as well. Kalanagar consists of a school and several shops for basic necessities. The workers either work in the factory or in the work room within or next to their house.

The workers get the raw materials from outside and sell the finished product to an emporium nearby.

Walking the streets of Kalanagar, one would find small beauty parlours and tailoring shops as well. The entire area has a cement boundary wall and tar streets.

The streets are nearly lined with two to three story houses. Government has also provided the craftsmen with factory spaces and machinery as well.

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Neelasandra Neelasandra is a Hindu dominated area of channapatna that is dedicated to the bead making Industry. Beads are made of teak wood and lac mainly. The uniqueness of the industry and area lies in the fact that it continues using manual lathes.

The craftsman does not need to go out for anything, but only use his set of skills to create beautiful products. Entire households work in this industry, i.e., men, women and even their kids. Familiar are either involved to create car seats.

Neelasandra is located on the outskirts of Channapatna and The remote area seems to have remained completely aloof from the developments around the world, maintaining its authenticity . the clean and wide streets of neelasandra are lined with brightly coloured single floor homes that shine under the bright sun.

Craftsmen of this area sit outside the very doorsteps of their houses, converting their verandas into workspaces during daytime and work there under the natural lights of the sun. the working hours are well defined by the timings of dawn and dusk, all year round.

Neelasandra too has Chinese competitors in the market for beads . Chinese beads are more affordable than those made in Neelasandra because of cheaper quality.

Therefore, in many households it is seen that one member is carving beads, while another member is trying together imported Chinese beads to create seat corners. A seat cover made of Indian beads is more expensive than one made of Chinese beads.

Amidst the chaos of channapatna toy manufacturing units, walking into the peaceful and vibrant streets of neelasandra is like therapy. The entire area is extremely rural its ways, but is yet more peaceful and organized than the so called more developed counterparts within Channapatna.

The artisans of neelasandra are involved in the bead making industry. The job of these craftsmen is merely to make beads. It is known for the supply of beads to in and around Channapatna. Most of them go to Mr. Mushtaque at madina chowk from whereon he makes a sale in the market. These artisans makes hundred and hundreds of beads everyday and supply it to companies like Maya organics and Katerpillar or Sabeel Khan Handicrafts where they make products out of it and gain huge machine through which beads are made. Neelasandra is prey to load shedding about 8-9 hours a day which leaves only the hours at right with power . due to the lack of power in the settlement, a lot of people use hand machines to make beads.

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Neelasandra is a small village with the population of 500- 600 people where almost the whole village has been practicing hand lathe machine is very simple in design compromising of a flat surface with two iron planks kept parallel to each other, but perpendicular to the feet of the artisan. Both planks have a pointed chuck to hold the wood piece and a bow sort of a form known as a Bilkul.

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When it comes to materials, artisans there were using both teak (tyagut mara) and ivory wood (aale mara) depending on the availability and the price of the wood. For polishing and finishing they use pine leaf known as tadegiri in the language.

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Masjid Area Masjid Area is a settlement in Channapatna that has existed for past four to five generations. This area is known to be one of the oldest toy making areas of Channapatna.

Craftsmen often make toys in the same factories as their forefathers did. The settlement is small and quite chaotic because of narrow roads and absence of cemented houses.

With a Masjid close by, the azaan is completely and constantly audible in the streets during dawn and dusk.

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Governement Facilities Workers in the Masjid street are extremely unhappy with the government facilities in their area.

Furthermore, these workers are also subject to illegal tax payment to corrupt government officers for the transportation of doodhi. The complaint of these craftsmen is that they always fall prey to the government’s corruption. The inefficiency of government in replying to applications for health cards and artisans identification cards is also a matter of irritation with craftsmen. People of this area have accepted the government’s indifference and have given up hope that anything is going to change.

Working Hierarachy The system goes on like this : Gents give orders to the craftsmen individually and give them a deadline. Craftsmen work in

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factories in Masjid street itself and make toys. One factory has around 5-8 members who work together.

Most of them are self employed and do not own the factories, but pay a rent to the factory owners to work there. The factory owners in Masjid Street, is a worker himself. Some of the better off factory owners also take bigger orders from agents and employ craftsmen under them and pay them monthly wages.

Status of Women Men are toy makers while women are mainly employed in the beedi (tobacco) industry, tailoring or are housewives. The idea of women working as toy makers is completely unheard of in this area. A ‘48-year old’ worker’, Altaf Pasha told us that it is too dirty a place for women to work and they wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Masjid street faces a daily power

cut of 4-5hrs at least. as a result is also another reason why many have left the craft in this area now and are involved in other professions like auto-driving or motorcycle mechanics. The efficiency of the industry is highly affected due to the lack of proper electricity supply because they depend entirely on power lathes for the molding of wood. Due to this the working hours of the craftsmen overflow to night as well. Power cuts and low productivity

Working Condition The setup in most of the factories remain consistent; there is one big rectangular lathe machine in the centre of the room with 3-4 motor lathes on opposite sides. Workers usually sit on the stools and work.

In the middle of the table right in front each of the worker are their supplies which they work.

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The size of the factory is extremely smallwith just enough space to put the giant lathe equipment and a few stools for the workers to sit on while at work. There is no space for any kind of movement inside the factory. The wood residue and other kind of waste is thrown on the ground right next to the workers. Workers do not use any kind of masks, glasses or gloves while working. The main problem in this area is the unpredictable power cuts.

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Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.

-Banksy

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Maya Organic Maya organics is an NGO that has been set up in Channapatna for the upliftment of the toy makers. It aims to create wealth and build capabilities of poor informal sector workers and their families. The units of Maya organic sell their own products without any middleman in the business.

The setup in Maya organic is lot more organized in terms of production, worker facilities, branding and selling of goods.

Maya Organic is a livelihood development initiative that helps micro- entrepreneurs build a network of sustainable enterprises that makes impeccable quality products by collaborating and partnering with umbrella structures to manage supply, product development, design and marketing.

Maya organic is currently working with the lac ware handicraft workers of Channapatna to build a sustainable fair-trade enterprise. It is also marketing over 50 kinds of toys for 0-5 years age group.

Maya Organics unlike all other enterprises provides a team of designers to the artisans to design, innovate and create new and latest designs as per the forecasts and hence are able to predict their profits.

Maya Organics has become a key partner, ensuring social compliance demanded by international buyers abroad. For instance companies such as GAP, H&M etc. have declared Maya Organic as their main partner through which hand embroidery has to be produced here in South India.

Status of Female Maya organic is probably the only enterprise in Channapatna that has employed young girls and women after providing a good skilled training to them. One of the core ideas of the NGO is women empowerment along with the empowerment of craftsmen of Channapatna. Hence they have been working as a helping hand instead of sitting at home and cooking or cleaning the house. Women are seen involved in all sections of toy manufacture

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from sculpting the wood to applying lac on it to tying threads on the spin-tops etc.

The manager of the Maya organics factory in Channapatna is also a woman. Women are paid equally as men, depending on the job they do.

Working Condition Maya organics is a systematic and organized firm where all aspects of production are taken care of under one roof. Work force is classified on the basis of skill set which increases the rate of production marginally as compared to Kalanagar or Masjid street. It provides a very good working space i.e. within the same base there is an area for the carving and pruning of toys, for painting the carved toys and for manually fixing the parts of the toys together. Also there is a whole other building dedicated to packaging and a separate office for design. The factory space provided is large enough for at least 20 workers to work at a given time.

The Artisans are given a fixed monthly salary regardless of the sales per month.

This gives them a feeling of security and balance. Also there are fixed working hours for the workers. There is also a holiday calendar that is strictly followed by the NGO. Artisans are given customized Maya Organic coats while they are working regardless of the department they are working in. Craftsmen working with wood are given facemasks to avoid the wood dust and resist any respiratory problem that may arise due to wood residue. Proper first-aid and washroom facilities are also provided to them.

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Worker Lifestyle

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Artisans and workers in Maya Organic appear much cleaner and hygienic than those of Kalanagar and Masjid street. A fix salary allows the workers to have a bank account, some savings and insurances.

Most of the workers and artisans in Maya Organic had health cards provided to them by Maya Organic itself. Maya has also raised the standard of living of women by giving them a stable and respectable means of income. The workers and artisans in Maya Organic need not come from a background in toy making. They are put into a department considering the set of skills they already have and are also trained to do that work.

Branding

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Maya Organic has developed as a brand that is associated with authentic Channapatna toys. A distinct ‘MO’ logo separates the products of Maya Organic from any other toys in the market. The attractive packaging with the ‘MO’ logo is more appealing to a larger number of mass who cannot access Channapatna and choose to buy the products online or from their nearest retail stores. Although for packaging only cardboard is used, the packaging looks simple and attractive. Maya Organic names its products to give it a different identity and personality. Some of those names are : cubby, peppy, five, abba, jippy, joker, bibbo, tuttu etc.

The NGO also has a website where one can read about the process of making these toys, the aims of NGO and about the artisans/toy makers of this sector.

Other branding tools like pamphlets and brochures of Maya Organic also provide full information.

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Katterpiller Beereshwara

Katerpillar industries and works is one of the larger companies who deal with toy making in channapatna, known for its innovative design and new toys discovered in the past few years. Katerpillar industries is a brain child of Mr. B. Venkatesh, who inherited the skill and craft of toy making from his father and setup his very own factory called ‘Sri Beereshwara Arts and Crafts ’. Katerpillar represents the joy of colorful childhood. The indigenous craft is about a generation old at Katerpillar and is practised through generations. The unique thing about Katerpillar is the innovative and one kind of designs displayed at the store and the new designs and toys introduced into the market.

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Worker Lifestyle Workers employed in Katerpillar are well skilled workers acquainted with the craft of toy making. Therefore most of them come from a toy making family background already. The way of working in Katerpillar is very similar to that of Kalanagar and Masjid Street. Workers are uneducated and only know the craft of toy making.

The timings of caterpillar are 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. and the factory is closed on Sundays. There are approximately 40-50 workers who are working in this workshop. Most of them are local crafts person because they know the art better since they’ve been seeing the use of the craft from their childhood. Katerpillar pays the workers Rs.200-300 per day depending upon the quantity of product that they make in a day. Women work only in the assembly section and their monthly income is about Rs.4000. Katerpillar has 16 artisans and 2 designers.

They have also played in the international market with unique exports and trade sent to foreign countries like USA , UK, and France. They believe in innovating so they make toys on demand as well but they replicate a design only when it spreads.

Branding Katerpillar has branded itself as primarily and exporter of Channapatna toys. The firm also manufactures most of its exports, but that is not the central subject of its advertising. Even while entering the Katerpillar factory one would not see big banners or sign boards. However the Katerpillar emporium is well advertised through a through a huge hoarding on the highway that cannot be missed by a driver.

Katerpillar has also established an online market that gives all information one would need to know about the brand such as the range of toys available, prices and materials used to make these toys. Â

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Cauvery Handicrafts

Cauvery Handicrafts is a pioneer in the field of wooden Handicrafts like, Lacquer toys, Rosewood handicrafts, Teakwood Handicrafts, Shivaniwood Handicraft, Sensorial Materials and other wooden artifacts. It was started as an exclusive wholesale wooden handicrafts shop and over a period of time it emerged as a wooden handicrafts/toys manufacturer, wholesaler, exporter and retailer. They also have exclusive factory and factory outlet on the Bangalore - Mysore highway in an 8000 sq ft space. The main concept behind their business is to promote Indian traditional lacquer handicrafts and toys. Presently Cauvery is into wholesale supply of Indian Handicrafts, Rosewood Handicraft, Sandalwood handicrafts, Rosewood Furnitures, Shivaniwood Furnitures, Lacquer toys, Educational toys, Sensorial Materials, Teakwood Furnitures and other wooden artifacts. This industry also identify few of the most talented artifacts and manufacture them in bulk quantities.

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The makers themselves Stories from the hands of the creators.. from the life givers..

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The makers themselves

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Art is not handicraft, It is the transmission of feeling the artist experienced -Leo Tolstay

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LIFESTYLE

The artisan is one of the seven soul types of roles in essence. Artisans have a natural talent for creative expression, bringing to life new and original ideas.

Artisan souls have an active and agile imagination that drives them to explore new forms and try out novel perspectives.

They continually perceive alternative ways of constructing reality, and seek to realize their ideas in tangible forms.

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In terms of their facial appearance, artisans tend to have heart- shaped, almost child-like faces, with soft, droopy, dreamy-looking eyes, and an “intrigued� expression.

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Aaltaf PASHA During our study in the city of toys, Channapatana, we met this one exception with great thoughts, Aaltaf , a young 26 years old toy maker in Masjid Street area. He does not belong to a family which is involved in toy making but he is highly skilled in whatever he does . He has been working since 9 years in a small workplace which is run by a single person . Currently he has two other workers working with him everyday , from morning 10 am to evening 9 pm. They get all their orders from Khan Handicrafts which is owned by Riyaz Ahmed Khan.

Aaltaf has been working very hard for the past seven years to get his artist’s identity card from the government of India. This young craftsman is also looking for an opportunity to go and visit and put up stalls in various national and international level exhibitions. He wants to put up all his merchandise that he would create. Also he desperately wants to go to Dilli Haat (Delhi) and put up a stall there also. His tentacles of toys spread to mathematical protractor sets to ring games for the toddlers and shape fitters to learn. Their designs depend completely upon the orders they receive. Aaltaf is very passionate about his dream and manages to take out some time after his tiring work to make some of his own extra toys.

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Amanulla KHAN Amanulla khan , the owner of the SHAHID HANDICRAFTS, is one of the finest craftsperson in channapatna. He is 62 years old with almost 40 years of work experience in this field of craft. This fine craftsman has also received recognition from The All India Arts and crafts Society. Being low educated with an academic qualification till standard 3, he was married off at a very young age and became father of two daughters soon. His wife is another simple merely educated woman who generally stays indoor and takes care of the family. Both of his daughters are now married and settled well.

Shahid Handicrafts is purely an exporting oriented industry. Their products are not sold or available in local market but are exported to different parts of the world.

This medium sized industry has four lathe machines and four workers working there. They use fine natural colours (showcase aqua) and also makes colours which are not seen in the local market in order to satisfy the exporting quality and market demand. They also works with jigsaw cut products too apart from the lathe made toys. Mr. Amanulla is also famous for his exclusive sixteen piece Russian dolls set. He, unlike other artisans whose world is limited within Channapatna has visited many places across India and abroad as well to deliver Demos of his work. His famous “Set Of Sixteen Russian Dolls” was also covered and published in one of the famous magazine “ Jet Wings”.

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MANJULA On our revisit to Neelasandra, known for their wooden bead works, we happened to come across a lady working religiously on her “bilkol� in a small verandah attached to her house. She was one of the lot who works solely on the teak wooden beads. The entire wood for the making of these beads are sourced from the Muslim community of Channapatna at an average rate of Rs.20 per kg. Although language stood as a barrier between us, she was keen to open up and share her experiences and knowledge. She is married to Chick Raju who is a craftsman in the same field. Pavithra is her elder daughter who is currently doing her higher primary education and Punith Raj is her younger son in his 5th standard.

Manjula works all day long on her Bilkol and makes around 200 beads a day for which she earns around Rs 100 per day. With great disappointment she says that she finds it hard to manage her home and the crafting at one go but she does not have an other choice as the income her husband alone earns is too low and it is important that she also works in order to make both ends meet. For this she, just

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like other women in this village is looking forward for some assistance from the government. Also she claims to have no health problems because of her work but the only problem she had was the same one which almost every other artisans had, problem of not getting what their hard work actually deserves.

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Riyaz SHERIF On our revisit to Neelasandra, known for their wooden bead works, we happened to come across a lady working religiously on her “bilkol� in a small verandah attached to her house. She was one of the lot who works solely on the teak wooden beads. The entire wood for the making of these beads are sourced from the Muslim community of Channapatna at an average rate of Rs.20 per kg. Although language stood as a barrier between us, she was keen to open up and share her experiences and knowledge. She is married to Chick Raju who is a craftsman in the same field. Pavithra is her elder daughter who is currently doing her higher primary education and Punith Raj is her younger son in his 5th standard.

Manjula works all day long on her Bilkol and makes around 200 beads a day for which she earns around Rs 100 per day. With great disappointment she says that she finds it hard to manage her home and the crafting at one go but she does not have an other choice as the income her husband alone earns is too low and it is important that she also works in order to make both ends meet. For this she, just

like other women in this village is looking forward for some assistance from the government. Also she claims to have no health problems because of her work but the only problem she had was the same one which almost every other artisans had, problem of not getting what their hard work actually deserves.

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Krishnappa VENKATESH Krishnappa Venkatesh, 62yrs old is a local craftsman of Channapatna with a work experience of 40 years.

His family includes his wife who is a housewife and five sons who are working in different sectors. Apart from this fine craftsman, nobody in his family works fro this craft or is interested .He was born into a normal family where his father worked in the fields and mother a homemaker. But as he grew he developed interest in this craft and learnt the fine craft from his uncle(chachu) who was probably the only person who practiced the craft then in his family. While most craftsmen could not complete schooling, he somehow managed till first year of his college .Krishnappa has been working in Katerpillar now for more than 24 years and is one of the oldest and the master artisan of Katerpillar and makes around 4045 dolls per day. He works for a monthly salary rather than being paid for the number of toys made unlike the story of most local artisans.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY http://channapatna.yellowpages.co.in/Document+Case http://channapatna.yellowpages.co.in/Caterpillar http://www.hotfrog.in/business/karnataka/channapatna/katerpillar-toys http://www.indiamart.com/sribeereshwara-arts/ http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/66076/The-Evolution-of-Toys/ http://nerdist.com/the-evolution-of-toys-over-the-last-100-years/ http://www.retrowow.co.uk/retro_britain/toys_and_games/toys_games_ past.html http://katerpillar.in/toyindex.html http://www.deccanherald.com/content/330698/channapatnas-woodcraft-get-sheen.html http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2016/06/channapatna-toy-industry-floundering/ http://www.dsource.in/resource/channapatna-toys-karnataka http://www.dsource.in/resource/channapatna-toy-ii/master-craftsman-story http://www.dsource.in/resource/channapatna-toy-ii/people-and-place http://craftspark.org/about-us.html http://www.tradeindia.com/Seller-3675399-Sri-Beereshwara-Arts-Crafts/ http://www.thebetterindia.com/1919/toy-story-resurrection-traditional-industry/ http://www.desibrandstrategy.com/tipu-sultan-the-business-tiger-of-mysore/ http://homepages.which.net/~panic.brixtonpoetry/toys.htm http://indianexpress.com/tag/channapatna-toys/ http://www.artzyme.com/buy-crafts/channapatna/

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PICTURE DESCRIPTIONS

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1.The innocence lies in the eyes of a child(a child from Kalanagar) 2.One old man from the streets of Channapatna 3.Artisan working in his home 4.Traditional stacker toy in a workplace from Islampur 5.House in Neelasandra 6.working artisans from Masjid Area 7.A lady vendor from Channapatna 8.A toy car from Maya Organic 9.Colorful beads from Maya Organic 10.A Wooden toy Horse made in Maya Organic 11.Workspace of an artisan in Neelasandra 12.Picture of Tipu Sultan 13.Artisan from Neelasandra 14.Artisan working in Maya Organic 15.Male artisan from Maya Organic 16. B.Venkatesh, owner of Katerpillar 17.A lady worker from Maya Organic 18.A male working artisan from Neelasandra 19.Mahesh, artisan from Neelasandra 20.Pulley of Motor lathe machine 21.Lady artisans in Maya Organic working 22.Lady artisan from Neelasandra making car seat cover 23.An aged artisan in Maya Organic 24.Frame of B.R Ambedkar in an artisan’s house 25.Artisan from Islampur chipping off the skin of Hale mara 26.Turtle toys in Shahid Arts and Crafts 27.Stacks of Hale mara in Maya Organic 28.Lac 29.Artisan using screw pine leaf to polish the toy 30.Unfinished products stored 31.Illustration of a lady artisan from Neelasandra 32.Illustration of set of tools used by the artisans 33.Workspace of a Neelasandra artisan 34.Artisan assembling the toy 35.Tools used in Neelasandra 36.An artisan polishing the toy in Katerpillar

37.Artisan polishing the toy with screwpine leaf 38.artisan cutting out the finished product from the lathe 39.Artisan applying lac on the product 40.Lady artisan stitching the chinese beads 41.Packaging stored at Maya Organics 42.Artisan using screwpine leaf to polish 43.Plastic fan used as a part of lathe machine 44.Storage of packaging materials in Maya Organics 45.Set of traditional toys in Katerpillar 46.A school going daughter of an artisan 47.A group of ladies in burkhas 48.Wood logs ready for seasoning 49.A normal scenes from the street of Masjid area 50.A part of the motor lathe 51.Artisan working in Islampur lathe workshop 52.Freshly made set of checker game 53.Toys ready to be packed in Maya Organic 54.Manjula,lady worker of Neelasandra working on her bow lathe 55.A religious worker in neelasandra 56.Bow lathe of neelasandra 57.Set of tools placed on the wall 58.Shoeb, a. artisan from the Masjid area 59.Part of lathe machine 60.Artisans working together inMasjid area 61.A normal scene from the toy land 62.Group picture of artisans from Cauveri Emporium 63.Wood Storage room 64.Set oftools that the artisans use 65.Artisan from Maya Organic stacking Hale mara 66.Chacha,an elderly artisan from Maya Organic 67.Unfinished products arranged to be coloured 68.Parts of toy stored in chamber 69.Toy car from maya Organic

70.Artisan from Katerpillar stacking hale mara 71.Krishnappa,Artisan from Katerpillar 72.Artisan from katerpillar who specialises in painting 73.Entrance of Channapatna Crafts park 74.Inside of the Channapatna Crafts Park 75.Inner premise of the Crafts Park 76.Infrastructure of Crafts Park 77.Crafts Park direction board 78.Cauvery Emporium raw material depot 79.Wood seasoning plant in Cauvery Emporium 80.Artisans of Cauvery 81.Artisan in with their products 82.One interesting lady from Neelasandra 83.An artisan from the Masjid area 84.An elderly artisan in Islampur 85.Workspace of artisans in Islampur 86.Amanulla Khan,owner of Shahid Arts and Crafts 87.Mahesh,artisan of Neelasandra 88.Aaltaf Pasha,an artisan from Islampur 89.Parts of toy being colored 90.Set oftools used by the artisans 91.Amanulla Khan,owner of Shahid Arts and Crafts 92.Set of handmade bangles from Shahid Arts and Crafts 93.Manjula,working on Bilkol 94.Manjula in her working space 95.Work tools of Manjula 96.Riyaz sherif,experienced worker from islampur 97.Riyaz sherif applying lac 98.Artisan chipping of the skin from Hale mara 99.Krishnappa, A major artisan in katerpillar 100.Artisan polishing the product 101.An old toy hung around the corner in the working spaceof Katerpillar.

102.The entrance to an artisan’s house.

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