New Delhi, Feb 27: Do You all have a favourite toy you like to play with?
Toys have been an important part of childhood in every generation since time immemorial. Toys are not just a means to spend a happy childhood but they also aid in improving a child’s creativity, imagination, motor skills and hand-eye coordination. India’s toy history dates back to the Indus valley civilization when terracotta toys like small carts with wheels, whistles shaped like birds, and animal figurines were recovered from excavations dating back to 3010 to 500 BCE.
Each region in India also has a rich tradition of handmade toys like the Kondapalli toys from Andhra Pradesh, Channapatna wooden toys from Karnataka, Thanjavur dolls from Tamil Nadu, Natungram wooden dolls from West Bengal, wooden toys of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Chitrakoot in Chhattisgarh and Navaratri Kolu dolls from Vilachery in Tamil Nadu just to name a few.
Today global toy market is valued at $ 100 billion with India contributing less than 1% (0.85 %) to this market. Most of the toys in the country are sourced from abroad in spite of a rich tradition in toys. To change this situation, Government of India has prepared the National Toy Action Plan, which includes 15 ministries and departments to not only make the Indian toy industry competitive and self-reliant but to also make India a toy manufacturing hub for the world. This mission aims to identify toy making clusters and bring investment to scale their operations. Toy tourism is also being promoted to strengthen and support the industry.
As a first step in this direction, Government of India launched the first India Toy Fair 2021. The virtual Toy Fair was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi and is being held from 27th February to 2nd March 2021. The virtual platform is not only being used to showcase the Indian toy industry with more than 1,000 exhibitors participating in the fair, but also provides a forum to discuss toy design, innovation, technology, marketing and packaging and share their experiences. The virtual gallery lets you view the videos related to the toymakers from all over India and is something to be explored.