South India is home to unique toy clusters like Etikopakka and Nirmal in Telangana, Kondapalli in Andhra Pradesh, Channapatna and Kinhal in Karnataka and Vilachery in Tamil Nadu. But there is a caveat for these toy clusters to get benefitted from the big global push of National Action Plan for Toys planned by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech.
“The toys are made of light wood. They are coloured with vegetable dyes and they have a niche appeal and market. But it will require something else to make them a global phenomenon,” says Subhajit Saha who has been lobbying and geting GI tags for multiple products in Telangana.
“The scheme will focus on development of clusters, skills, and a manufacturing ecosystem that will create high-quality, unique, innovative and sustainable toys that will represent the ‘Made in India’ brand,” said Ms. Sitharaman said in the speech.
“With the toy industry getting a mention in the Budget, it’s time for fusion of tradition with technology and make a huge impact on this sector,” says Mr. Saha, Head legal & IPR, Resolute Group. He points out about the passive nature of the toys manufactured here. The toymakers are not so gung-ho about the future. “Most of the toys manufactured by us are bought as gifts for others or they are kept on display,” says a toy manufacturer.
“I cannot think of exporting or shipping the toys we make. These toys are delicate and the breakages are high. I will have to spend most of the money on packaging if I have to ship them safely,” says B.R. Shankar, manager of the Nirmal Toys & Industrial Cooperative Society in Nirmal. “We have had no government support except for the building. I make the toys the way I started making them 60 years ago. There were 100 families in Nirmal making these toys. Now we are down to 25 families and the numbers are declining,” says 71-year-old Mr. Shankar.
Without a clear outline and financial outlay for the toy industry, the words don’t carry much weight for Mr. Shankar and other families dependent on the toy industry.
Published – February 01, 2025 08:05 pm IST