SOJOURN

1
A WA L K I N T H E T O W N O F T O Y S
2
SOJOURN

3
A WA L K I N T H E T O W N O F T O Y S
4
 C H A N N A PAT N A
Craft Cluster 2016

5
SOJOURN
Published in August, 2016 by
Department of Fashion Communication,
National Institute of Fashion Technology
Site No. 21, NIFT Campus, 27th Main Road
HSR layout, Sector 1
Bengaluru, Karnataka - 560034

All rights reserved by NIFT. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrival system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or
photocopying without prior written permission from the publisher.

Copyright 2016 National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bengaluru

Printed and bound in Bengaluru, India

KOLOR KODE
No.12, Berlie Street, Langford Town, Bangalore - 560025, Near Shanti Nagar Hockey
Stadium
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The craft documentation of Channapatna was a really good learning experi-
ence. However, it would not have been possible without the support and help of many
individuals and organizations. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of them.

We are highly indebted to Mr Lordsun Sivakumar and Ms. Priyanka S.V for their
guidance and constant supervision as well as for providing necessary information re-
garding the project & also for their support in completing the project.

We would like to express our gratitude toward the artisans & members of Maya
Organics and Katerpillar, for their kind co-operation and patience which helped us in the
completion of this project.

We would like to express our special gratitude and thanks to Channapatna

industry artisans for giving us their attention and time, this project wouldnt have been
possible without them.
8
 C E R TI FI C ATE
This is to certify that the Craft cluster project titled SOJOURN is a record of work done by students, Divyanshu Singh (BD/14/5117), Nandin Choudhary
(Ben13Fc09 ), Juhi Vyas (BD/14/29), Vasav ( BD/14/120),and, Vyom Parthroliya (BD/14/177) as a regular student for the degree of B.Des Fashion Communi-
cation during the period of July 2016, which represents as independent work and does not form the base for any previous work.

PLACE: Bengaluru
DATE :

Under the Guidance of

Mr. Lordsun Sivakumar
Assistant Professor &
Ms. Priyanka.S.V
Assistant Professor
Department of Fashion Communication
National Institutee of Fashion Technology
Bengaluru- 560102

_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________

(External Jury Member) (External Jury Member) (External Jury Member) (External Jury Member)
10
 I N DE X

1. Map of Channpatna 14

2. Geographics | Demographics | Communities 15

3. Lifestyle | Economics 16, 17

4. Toys 18, 19

5. Toys | Making Process 20, 21

6. Market | Promotion | Packaging 22, 23

7. Regional Essence| Visual Aura 24, 25

8. Maya Organics 26, 27

9. Parvatijaggis, Nazina 28, 29

10. Katerpillar 30, 31

11. Craft Publication | Need | Importance 32, 33

12. Glossary 35

13. Contacts 37
12
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

C H A N N A PAT N A

C H A N N A PAT N A
Craft Cluster 2016

13
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

14
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

C H ANNAPATN A
GEOGRAPHICS | DEMOGRAPHICS | COMMUNITIES
A worker, at Katerpillar
Channapatna is a Municipal Council city in district of Ramana-
gara, Karnataka. It has a population of 71,942 of which 36,098 are males
while 35,844 are females as per report released by Census India 2011. The
number of Children with age of 0-6 is 8038 which is 11.17 % of total popula-
tion of Channapatna.

In the City Municipal Council, Female Sex Ratio is of 993 against

state average of 973. Moreover Child Sex Ratio is around 933 compared
to Karnataka state average of 948. Literacy rate of the city is 84.70 %
higher than state average of 75.36 %. In Channapatna, Male literacy is
around 88.13 % while female literacy rate is 81.28 %.

According to census study conducted by the government of
India the prevailing community in Channapatna is Hindu community, but
the second most populated community i.e. the muslim community is the
one carrying forward the art of toy making in channapatna.

Most of the people who engage in the art of toy making are
families, generally working outside of their houses in small work shed con-
structed adjacent to their houses. The art is almost on the verge of extinc-
tion as told by the artisans who are still in the business and are trying very
hard to earn a days living.
The people of channapatna are eager to bring this art forward
as its much more sophisticated and safer than the Chinese toys which
are dominating the toy market in the present scenario. With no means
to bring their art forward, the artisans just focus on making a days living
which too seems to be a very tough task due to the prevailing competi-
tion.
Most of the people who were interviewed during our visit were
muslims, and in each shop/workshop that we visited were run by families
or friends. The shops were either owned by the artisans or were taken at
rent by them to create toys.
Channapatna was a male dominated hub as except for Maya
organic most of the artisans that we met were male, and when asked
about the females in the business the response was not positive. Maya
organic are giving a chance to women to master the art and thus carry it
forward.

15
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

Enthusiastic faces, Lacquerware Complex

Manual Lathe, Neelasandra

Most experienced artisan, Lacquerware Complex

16
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

L I F EST Y L E
SOCIETY | ECONOMICS
Himayun at work.
The number of artisans who are involved in the art of toy mak-
ing is reducing gradually. Most people who were involved earlier have
migrated in search of job opportunities. The artisans involved are wholly
dependent upon the toys for their day to day living.

Mostly all the artisans that we encountered are struggling to earn

their living due to insufficient reward for their skills. The community which
is carrying this art forward is Muslim community, families as whole are in-
volved in this business of making toys and selling them. Even the oldest
members seemed to be involved in it and are considered the most expe-
rienced.

The artisans of Kalanagar and Islampur are open to the gift of
modern technology, even Maya Organics are up to date with their ma-
chinery. A few years earlier, technology was a taboo for the artisans as
they believed it reduced the quality of the toys, but in the current sce-
nario most of all the artisans use modern day machinery for their craft.

The community is a little laid back than the modern day society
we live in, the artisans are not much educated about the sale part of the
business. We came across a lot of complains about not getting adequate
wages for their work, and they had no idea about how they could im-
prove their situation. Channapatna toys are admired and valued around the world
This was due to their lack of business knowledge and competition and they are considered to be artisanal products. And the fact is that
amongst the market. Due to heavy competition from the Chinese prod- most artisans arent aware about this. An artisans main focus is to earn
ucts as well as competition amongst the artisans themselves, the toys end his day to day living and keep surviving in the current economy, thus he
up being sold at very low prices to distributors. Whereas, these same toys cannot apply much effort on making a business out of the beautiful craft
are sold at almost double the price in the markets. that is created by him.

17
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

Tatoo

Joker Car

Train

18
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

TOYS

Spinning Top
Channapatna toys have made their way from our hearts to our
homes and even to The White House. Channapatna is a small town in the
rural district of Bangalore, in the state of Karnataka, India.

This is the home of some of the most delightful and handy wood-
en toys. These toys are both educational and decorative along with the
stamp of impeccable quality and non-toxicity. This is owned by the com-
munity of Channapatna and has been registered under the GI right since
2006.

Made from the wood of Dudhi, the toys constructed are limited
to a size of five to six inches. Dudhi, also known as Mitaindarjau, is the
softwood that undergoes the wood turning process, using a lathe.

The craft has diversified over time; in addition to the traditional

ivory-wood, other woods including sycamore, rubber, cedar, pine and
teak are used now as well. The toys are invariably cylindrical in shape and
the artisans play on the surface symmetrically to design interesting forms.
Once the seasoned wood (2-3 months) is given shape, they add
the color using lac (a natural wax). The color used is made from natural
dyes such as pomegranate, haldi, etc.
The common colours used are yellow, green, blue, black, indigo,
light and dark brown, red and orange all made from natural/vegetable
dye. The final polishing is the result of palm leaves that add to their stun-
ning outcome.
They follow a lot of animal themed designs. We can see a lot of
dogs, cats, turtles, mice, birds, etc. Along with that they are influenced
by everyday life, since the toys include a lot of trains, cycles, cars, bullock
carts, and the famed tops.
The collection of toys is growing since they are not just for playing
(rattlers, etc.) but also for educational purposes. A whole range of edu-
cational toys are also available such as abacus, jigsaw puzzles, building
blocks and lots more. These toys are sought after because of their risk-free
quotient as the color used are all natural so toddles are safe from any sort
of harm.

19
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

1. Wood kept for seasoning 4. Refining Shape

2.Fixing wood for turning process 5. Applying Colour

3. Spinning wood being carved out in shape 6. Polishing using Screw Pine leaf

20
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016
TOYS | MAKING PROCESS
The process that leads to the outcome of the famous Channa-
patna toys goes through a long cycle of arranging for the wood, Dudhi
(Wrightia Tinctoria), which is found in India, Southeast Asia, and Australia.
This wood is essential since only softwood goes through the
wood turning processes. This process requires Dudhi, which is collected
and then seasoned for six months, give or take. This is then dried and
passed on to the machine lathes.
After the wood is shaped, and smoothened, with the assistance
of specific tools with their individual contributions namely, compass (to
check the width and length), bare gear (to make holes), ugroli (to
sharpen), shapholi (to design), koyuli (for cutting), sandpaper, matuli also an aid since the absence of toxicity is highly reassuring to any parent.
(for levelling) and various others, the forms wanted are attained.
On completion of the first two processes, the use of lac is re-
quired. Lac is the scarlet resinous secretion of a number of species of lac
insects, the commonly cultivated species of which is kerria lacca. Dye is
made using lac which is one of the most important factors of these toys.
These dyes are conclusively natural.
Turmeric for yellow, indigo for blue and kum kum for red and or-
ange is used for colour. They form other colours by combining these basic
ones. After the colour is made using lac and then applied onto the prod-
uct, the final stage, which is prerequisite, is polishing using Screw pine.
A few unique characteristics of these toys and products, is that they will
always be cylindrical in shape and perfectly symmetrical. This however
may be seen as a limitation which hinders greater production of goods.
The other interesting fact is that the size of the wood is merely 6 inches.
This results in the toys having a limitation in size too. The toys which
are produced are done so with the idea that the safety of the children
comes first, so a lot of thought is given to the final size of the resulting prod-
uct.
Along with the proper size which has to be noted so that children
do not swallow the toys, the safety that comes from using natural dye is
The main products that are sold at Channapatna are primarily
the toys. These include animal and every-day-life themed toys. From rat-
tles, to push and pull toys, all are either in the form of dogs, mice, birds or
trains, cars, and wheels.
They also have a range of smaller toys such as spinning tops,
eggs, and key chains which has an abstract take on the human form.
Other products that are available at the Town OF Toys are education-
al games like abacus and ring set, also home decor which include wall
hangings, show pieces, containers, jewellery, and other small tokens that
are exclusively Channapatna.
21
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

A toy called Whistle Kit Kit Workers packing products, Maya Organics

Naseeb Wholesale Store Packed box, Joker Car

Toys, displayed by artisans themselves. Packed goods ready for shipping, Maya Organics

22
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

MARKET | PROMOTION | PACKAGING

Spinning Top
Online markets such as craftsvilla and varnam provide the chan-
nel for purchasing Channapatna toys online. Amazon too has toys on
sale provided by Maya Organics, CeeJay Toys and Suraj Enterprises.
Apart from these, you can buy the toys in person from Emporiums present
at Channapatna, and Bangalore.

Places such as M.G roads in both the mentioned places have

toys on display for sale. Other cities like Chennai and Delhi have exported
goods at very selective places. Channapatna toys promotion is scarce
and not all products are available online so the full reach of the hard work
of the artisans are failed to be acknowledged.

Organisations like Katerpillar and Maya Organics do incorporate

newer designs that make the toys more attractive in its variety. Theyve
also thought of expanding the categories of products manufactured, to
attract a larger market. Categories such as Stationery, home dcor, jew-
ellery, flutes, etc.
There are haats, bazaars, emporiums and even wholesale that
have made it plausible to get your hands on these carefully crafted prod-
ucts. Places like Sri Kaveri handicrafts, Hana Toys & Crafts Studio, Varnam
Store, Kaveri Crafts, etc.
Emporiums and stores do not have any packaging techniques as
such. The retail stores after the ban on plastic packets do not provide for
any packaging whatsoever, other than newspapers for the large items
such as ceiling decorative pieces which is the accumulation of smaller
toys. Exports are supplied in cardboard boxes. And same with online
deliveries.

23
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

Products displayed at Double Star Handicrafts Cleaning up the products before packaging

Artisans working in Maya Organics Hand powered Lathe

Artisan engrossed in his work A place for sortiing out materials at Katerpillar

24
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016
REGIONAL ESSENCE | VISUAL AURA
Channapatna, although is known for its toys; it should also be
commended on the amiability of both artisans and the inhabitants of the
town. The general feel of the town comes painted with warmth and thirst
for acknowledgement.
The people of Channapatna are proud of their small contribution
for us, unaware of the magnitude of the requirement of their culture and
tradition.
The town is an accumulation of men, women and children who
have a knack for the art of toy making, although not all have a flare of
the art, some take it up as a hobby. Others based on necessity. There
are claims of Channapatna losing its toy makers which would make for a
great loss. called Halle Mara, the products are harmless when it comes to being
The end product obtained is a beautifully crafted and designed
toy, the outer surface of the toy is spotless and very smooth. The feel of
the toy is fully polished and no ruggedness is present on the surface.
The size of the toy varies from 3 inches to 12 inches depending
upon the type of the toy. The toy is tough and totally safe for the toddlers
to play with as it consists of natural elements only unlike the Chinese coun-
terparts. The art of toy making in Channapatna is one of kind and special
on its own.
The fact that its majorly practiced by the locals of Channapatna
in the vicinity of their own houses, contrary to factory-based manufactur-
ing, is one of the reasons that makes it special. Channapatna toys have
quite a few Unique Selling Points which need to be made use of to pro-
mote the products.
The only thing these artisans are missing out on is efficient promo-
tion and sales of their products. This can be achieved by making people
around the world aware of this craft along with reasons as to why these
products are better than other available alternatives such as their Chi-
nese counterparts.
1. The products are sustainable. Being made out of a soft wood
used by toddlers and other small children. Whereas their biggest com-
petition, the Chinese products, are mostly made out of materials such as
plastic and other artificial material.
2. They are completely biodegradable thus are considered eco-
friendly too.
3. They vary across a wide range of products are a worthy op-
ponent to the Chinese counterparts.
25
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

Altaaf, Artisan at Maya Organics

Sarala, Artisan at Maya Organics Electrical Lathes used in Maya Organics

Assembling toys at Maya Organics Store room to season wood at Maya Organics

26
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

M AYA O RGA N I C S

Mr. Srinivas
Maya Organics, an NGO which began in 2000/2001 takes pride
in their initiative of introducing female artisans in the otherwise male
dominated art of toy making. The women are trained over a period of six
months and then are divided into categories of jobs.

Maya Organics also took the initiative of attempting to make the

trade sustainable and then succeeded in doing so.

On speaking with Mr. Srinivas, the designer at Maya Organics, we

learn that no design at Maya is registered. They follow the basic process
of seasoning the Dudhi (Wrightia Tinctoria); this process takes two to three
months on natural seasoning and drying or twenty days if an oven is used
to dry the wood.

Once the wood is ready then they begin with the construction of
a prototype, the required changes are applied after, then they make a
three piece sample that has to be approved.
Once these three steps are completed, they proceed to the
packaging and the market price. They design the basic three categories
of wooden products: Push and Pull toys, Montessory, and Home Acces-
sories.
Upon speaking with Altaaf and Sarala, who have been artisans
at Maya for twelve years, they had to say that once the process of using
the tools and machine lethe is mastered then making the toys becomes
easier. Which is understandable since the main characteristic of Chan-
napatna toys is that it is cylindrical in shape. Altaaf, who learned this art
on his own and Sarala who was trained at Maya, both love their jobs,
contributing to the City Of Toys.

27
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

Himayun has been in profession since 6 years

He works 6-8 hours daily The artisans pay rs. 400 per month for the machines

The workers produce 500-600 pieces daily Riyaz, applying colour to his latest creation

28
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

Riyaz Ahmad

PARVAT I J A G G I S, N A Z I N A
Masjid Khila, K.T . Road

A small place inside the town of Channapatna, comes this road

where inside one house we find 12 lethe machines, 7 artisans and hun-
dreds of rings being made. With the average age of 40 of the all the men
present there, Riyaz Ahmad Shareef was the oldest of them all.

At the ripe age of 65, he had seen more than his share of the rise
and fall of this art. He has been making toys for over forty years. He did not
let his children get into this profession but he and his brother were taught
to make these toys from the early age of twenty.

When asked why he works at this age and not just retire and be
looked after by his children, all he had to say was, Bekaar bulane se
acha hai ki khuch dhang ka karoon, (Its better to do something pro-
ductive than being called useless.

Although they only make 400 rupees per day, and they work non-
stop to make the rings (or whichever shape required), throughout the day
and the full remuneration is not even given since rent and wood charge is
deducted from the whole days payment so they get roughly 300 rupees.
But, this is what they prefer to do than have no hobby at all.

29
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

Artisan at work

Place to sort designs and materials A drawing of Katerpillar on a wall nearby

Storage for carved wood that need seasoning Seasoned woods absorb colour better

30
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016
K AT ERP I L L A R
CRAFT HOUSE
Mr. Krishna Pal, sixty four years of age has tried his hand at toy
making for the last two years, working with Katterpillar. He was introduced
to this art by his sister, and he likes his job a lot except for a few minor
problems which include, the skin from his fingers gets peeled off because
of the friction from the machines and while applying lac.
He comes in to work at 9am and stays till 6:30pm. He was working
on the egg rattlers; he completed one egg (toy) in five minutes. He makes
about forty eggs per day and gets paid four hundred rupees.
The first step of making the toy is to get them in the correct shape.
He uses the tools to make the inside of the wood hollow, then inserts a
piece of kaala lakdi (a different type of wood shaped as a cube). Then
he applies a sticking agent to fuse the top and bottom portion of the egg
shut. Then he uses sand paper to even it out.
After he redefines the shape, he applies lac and then finally pol-
ishes the toy with palm leaf. The scrap material that remains after all the
woodwork is used to make agarbatti which makes the whole process
sustainable.
Each time a new order comes in they work non-stop to meet the
required total of products to be handed over to the organizations that
have given them the task.
When asked about his views on Channapatna toys, this is what
he had to say,There was a man, a great general who wanted to improve
the products fond at Channapatna, hence there are so many designs. I
being a karigar do not have any preference of which toy I like the most.
We get the order and we make it. Ive made over hundred dif-
ferent toys and they seem to make others happy so we do it. We do not
waste anything except the products that become defective, we burn
them, otherwise we use the scrap to make agarbatti, since the wood is
not harmful at all, working here does not have much downfalls.
There are Chinese products in the market, but they can never get
the polish that we here at Channapatna provide. Here, each product is
made from wood and natural dye and everything used is non-toxic, also
the life cycle of each is easily thirty years because you cannot break this
wood or polish. That is what makes Channapatna the city of toys.
31
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

Artisan engrossed in his work

Owner of NASEEB STORE

Elder Artisans who prefer hand powered lathes, Neelasandra

32
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

C RAF T P UB L I C ATI O N
NEED | IMPOR TANCE

A sketch made at Katerpillar

In the current day society, a country is known for its economic
and scientific growth, people have lost their way and they have forgot-
ten the real roots of ones motherland and oneself.

India in particular is known for its wide culture and with a wide
culture comes wide cultural handicrafts. We are lucky to be born in a
country with such a wide variety of skilled crafts around us, but due to our
negligence over a period of time these crafts will slowly fade away.

These crafts deserve a lot more credit than they are getting right
now, and that can be done through research and documentation of
these crafts. In a big country such as India, every corner consists of some
or the other craft and they are not able to reach the outside world thus
not getting the adequate credit.

By researching about these crafts and documenting them we

can preserve these precious crafts that are the roots of our country. These
crafts deserve a lot more promotion among the society and they should
be published for the common mass to know about these priceless crafts.
The main reason that these crafts are fading away is due to lack
of proper promotion, people around the country arent aware about
these crafts and thus the artisans arent able to get proper returns for their
skills.
We live in a modern world, we are surrounded by technology and media,
and by making the use of both these crafts can be made known among
people thus creating an opportunity for the craft to survive. By utilising the
resources we can restore the lost respect for our traditional crafts amongst
people and thus allowing it to flourish to its full extent.

33
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

34
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

GLOSSARY

Hallaemara This ivory wood is the main ingredient of the chan- Following are the tools which are used by the artisans, for giving the final
napatna wooden toys, also known as dudhi wood due to the white form to the toy:-
oozing material which comes out of it when its cut. It is very soft in nature
and can be easily carved using the necessary tools. Bare Gear- This tool is used for drilling the holes into the wood.

Lathe - A lathe is a machine tool that rotates the work piece on
its axis to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling,
drilling, or deformation, facing, turning, with tools that are applied to the
work piece to create an object with symmetry about an axis of rotation.
Lac - A resinous substance deposited on the twigs of various trees
in southern Asia by the female of the lac insect: used in the manufac-
ture of varnishes, sealing wax, etc., Lac is harvested by cutting the tree
branches that hold sticklac. If dye is being produced, the insects are kept
in the sticklac because the dye colour comes from the insects rather than
their resin.
Ugroli- This tool has very sharp edges and is used to carve and
cut the wood into shapes.
Shapholi- This tool is used for the designing part of the process,
i.e. to give finishing to the outer surface.
Koyuli- This tool is used for the purposes of cutting and carving.
Matuli- This tool is used for the purpose of levelling.
Chandrike- Wood turning machine.

Lacquer ware- Lacquer ware are objects decoratively covered

with lacquer. The lacquer is sometimes inlaid or carved. Lacquer ware in-
cludes boxes, tableware, buttons and even coffins painted with lacquer,
mostly from East Asian cultures.

35
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

36
SOJOURN: CRAFT CLUSTER 2016

CONTACTS

Naseeb Store
Operated by- Mr K.M Murtuza
Phone- 9980670944
Address- Kalanagar, Channapatna 562160, Ramanagar
DIstt.

Karnataka state handicraft development corporation ltd.
Phone- 9342036933
Address- Kalanagar, Thattekere Road, Channapatna
571501 Ramanagar Distt.

Design & Technical Development Workshop

Operated By- National Centre for Design and Product
Development
Phone- 26821262/26821265
Address- Islampur, Channapatna, Ramangar Distt.

Double Star Handicrafts

Operated by- Mr. Syed Akram
Phone- 9844188854
Address- V- 84 Kalanagar Toys quarters, Channapatna
562160, Ramanagar DIstt.

K. Abdul Kareem Son Toys Merchant

Operated by- Mr Abdul Kareem
Address- M.G Road, Channapata 571501
Phone- 9945041017

37
38
 C H A N N A PAT N A
Craft Cluster 2016

39
 SOJOURN

Copyright 2016 National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bengaluru.

40