Embracing Swadeshi: The Tale of Toys
Promoting the purchase of locally-made toys is vital. Additionally, actively selecting toys that honor our Bharateeya traditions is equally significant. — Dr. Shivkumar M. Belli
As we travel through the corridors of our memories, the kaleidoscope of childhood unveils a myriad of toys that colored our early years. Do you recall the simplicity and joy encapsulated in those toys? Take a moment to ponder over the toys that adorned your youthful days. Think about the toys your parents and grandparents cherished during their childhood. What stories do these toys whisper about our heritage, culture, and values? The answer is probably nil. Remarkably, in just 2 to 3 decades, our toy landscape underwent a seismic shift, inundated by foreign imports. This is not solely about trade; it deeply affects our children’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional growth.
Often overlooked is the profound impact of these imports on fostering a cultural disconnection and instilling an early sense of inferiority toward our heritage during a child’s formative years. It’s unsurprising when a child proudly displays their assortment of Barbie dolls while concealing the beautifully crafted wooden Mokshapatha/Mokshapata (loosely translated as snake and ladder game). Who is responsible for this? There can be many held responsible for this.
The World of Toy Making in India
India holds a rich heritage in toy-making, spanning back 5000 years. Unearthed artifacts from Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro reveal ancient toys—miniature carts, dancing women—reflecting our enduring legacy. Our toys serve as custodians of storytelling, humbly carrying forward life perspectives and values from our ancestors. These toys beautifully depict tales from Ramayana, Mahabharata, and many other Puranas. The most unique feature of the traditional indigenous toys of India is that they meet all standards of sustainability and eco-friendliness. Indigenous toys are made locally by artisans and the skills of making toys are transferred from one generation to another in the family or community.
Across India, each state has a unique heritage in toy crafting, showcasing local cultures. For instance, Handwai, a toy kitchen set from Punjab, mirrors traditional Punjabi kitchens, while Choppu Saman from Tamil Nadu embodies the essence of Tamil kitchen culture. It’s disheartening that our children are often unfamiliar with these toys and their rich cultural connections.
Lately, it’s become common to use handcrafted toys as mere decorations in our homes, displayed on shelves but keep them out of reach for our children. It’s regrettable that these attractive indigenous toys often remain untouched by the very kids they’re meant for. It’s crucial to move away from this trend of turning toys into showpieces or museum artifacts. Instead, we should actively encourage children to engage and play with these beautifully crafted toys.
Toys and Trade
When examining toy trade statistics, there’s both positive and concerning news. First, positive news: In 2018-19, toys worth Rs 2,960 crore were imported into India. With Hon’ble Prime Minster Shri. Narendra Modi’s call to ‘vocal for local’, the government took several steps to promote indigenous toys designed on Indian culture and history. The overall import of toys in India reduced by 70 percent to Rs 870 crore in 2021-22. In February 2020, import duty on toys was raised from 20 percent to 60 percent and now this year to 70 percent, to discourage imports. The government is also considering rolling out a fiscal incentive scheme -- PLI -- for toys. According to a tweet (Feb 11, 2023) from the Union Commerce and Industry Minister Shri. Piyush Goyal, India’s toy exports rose to more than 6 times in April-December 2022 as compared to the same period in 2013.
However, there is also a piece of concerning news: Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply in Rajya Sabha mentioned that 29 licenses were issued to foreign toy manufacturing units from Hungary, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and the Czech Republic under the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) foreign manufacturers’ certification scheme. It’s noteworthy that no licenses were granted to units from China.
In 2020, the government issued a Toys (Quality Control) Order. As per the order, toys have to conform to the requirements of relevant Indian standards and bear the standard mark under a license. It applies to both domestic as well as foreign manufacturers who intend to export their toys to India. This policy poses newer challenges to local traditional artisans and toy-making families. BIS certification process is online and local artisans are not computer-savvy. To get BIS certification, the samples are to be pre-tested and certified by empaneled laboratories and they are very less in number. It is a stressful and time-consuming process for the artisans. Though the BIS intends to raise the bar of quality of toys, it is not a level playing field. The level of stress (financial and time) will be incomparable for a local artisan and an organized enterprise. For instance, toys in Channapatna (a famous toy town in Karnataka) are manufactured by family members and they can not afford to spend their time or money to get these certifications. Experts feel that when GI tags are in place for such clusters, such additional certifications may be avoided or at least simplify the certification process.
Is there a bigger problem?
Yes, there is a bigger elephant in the room. There is a significant issue or fact that we usually tend to ignore. Regardless of whether they’re made by local artisans, Swadeshi companies, or foreign firms, toys often share common themes and concepts. Unfortunately, these themes and concepts do not have any connection with Bharateeya Sanskriti and Parampara. Foreign companies showing a lack of this connection is understandable. Swadeshi start-ups following the suit of foreign icons, concepts, and designs are harder fact to digest. When asked the reason for this necessity to the Swadeshi firms, the answer lies in both the demand and supply side.
Today, parents and kids are heavily influenced by the media and their acceptance is always towards foreign designs and icons in toys. It is quite common to find toy characters such as Barbie, Mickey & Minnie, Spider-Man, Baby Shark et cetra rather than Chacha-Chachi Gudiya or Etikoppakka Bommalu (Etikoppakka Toys).
We frequently attribute the lack of toys reflecting Bharateeya Sanskriti and Parampara to market demand. Yet, we mustn’t remain silent about the supply-side shortages in this sector. While it’s believed that demand sparks supply, it’s equally true that supply stimulates its own demand. Thus, it’s crucial to address these supply-side concerns.
Fewer firms are attempting to revive Bharateeya-themed toys. In such attempts, there is another upsetting trend that we notice. That is lack of required knowledge about Bharateeya Jnana Parampara (Indian Knowledge System) among suppliers and toy designers. Without reading a Ramayana, if you only rely upon some unauthentic secondary texts and translations of Ramayana, you end up creating Rama having looks like any other foreign icon. Creating any Bharateeya icon using AI can be even more disastrous. A simple way to understand these problems is to learn the lessons from a flop movie called ‘Adipurush’. Movie makers of Adipurush said that the movie has modeled a few characters to look Arabic, and declared that it did not have any agenda to Sanskritise. This is not just a sickular mindset and hypocrisy but also another level of infringement of intellectual property rights.
Way forward?
It’s imperative to break free from our colonial hangover and redefine our perception of handcrafted toys made by skilled artisans. Instead of just keeping them as fancy things for display, like museum items, we should give them to kids to play and learn Cultivating a profound appreciation for the beauty and craftsmanship of local artisans is crucial. Instilling this sense of connoisseurship among our children becomes equally significant—allowing them to cherish and value these treasures of indigenous craftsmanship. Promoting the purchase of locally-made toys is vital. Additionally, actively selecting toys that honor our Bharateeya traditions is equally significant.
Dr. Shivkumar M. Belli: Associate Professor, Dept. of Management Studies, Central University of Karnataka.
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