Channapatna toys: little joyful things that you must bring back from Karnataka

I’ve always been a big fan of window shopping at airports. Brightly lit stores, fancy shopping bags, people reading labels for far too long, even ordinary daily items start to look fancy when sold at the airport. It can’t be just me who feels that way.

With the rule of “Don’t touch anything, keep your wallet away, but look you must!”, I casually checked out some toy stores at the Bengaluru Airport. I walked past a funny looking pile of wooden toys. Probably nobody cares, I said to myself. But then, it was so basic, so simple and made of wood, I wondered why they were sold at the airport. Curiosity got the better of me and made me take a u-turn. Little did I know that that was going to be the start of a 30-something woman’s very unhealthy attachment to toys and souvenirs.
Story of Channapatna toys
Channapatna, a sleepy little town in Karnataka's Ramanagara district, is also known as Gombegala Ooru (toy town). The town got its name from the GI tagged (geographical indication) wooden toys. But one wonders, why are toys GI tagged? Far from the ordinary, these wooden toys are the traditional toys, and their history dates back to the time of Tipu Sultan. And rightly so, the World Trade Organisation thought it best to protect these traditional craft under the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

Tipu Sultan, a true admirer of arts and crafts, in order to help Indian craftsmen perfect their art (woodwork), got Persian artisans to train them. This move proved to be quite a move because now the Indian artisans were in touch with better techniques and skill. They started exploring other forms of woodwork. Channapatna toys are one such form that took off for good.

Traditionally, the Channapatna work involved ivory-wood, locally called Aale mara. With time, the artisans started to experiment with rubber, teak, pine, cedar, rosewood and sandalwood. The careful selection of the main wood, seasoning, cutting, pruning and carving, and finally, colouring, is a long process. Since these are toys meant for children, the colours used on these toys are vegetable dyes, non-toxic and safe.
If they are special enough to get GI tagged, they are special enough to be a great souvenir. A little support goes a long way for the traditional craftsmen who, for decades, faced an unsure future for their craft. Lack of proper market and distribution strategies almost took the art close to an end. Timely intervention by the Karnataka Handicrafts Development Corporation (KHDC) helped revive the dying artform. Now, if you see these Channapatna toys being sold on roadside stalls, do buy a few. They make for great souvenirs, and purchasing traditional souvenirs is a way to support the local artisans.

The importance of GI tagged products

A Geographical Indication tag is given to products that have come from a specific geographical place and are known because of that region. The tag is given for 10 years, after which it can be renewed. A GI tagged product comes with an assurance of that unique quality, which made it popular in the first place. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has launched a logo and tagline for the Geographical indications of India.

The tagline says Invaluable Treasures of Incredible India' and rightly so, because these products are not only unique, but also hold immense cultural importance. Back in 2004, India got its first product GI tagged – the Darjeeling tea. Banaras Zardozi from Uttar pradesh, Tamenglong Orange from Manipur, Manjusha Art from Bihar, Tirupati Laddu from Andhra Pradesh–these are just a few out of 370 products from India that are protected under the GI tag.