Folk Toys of Punjab

A large number of those belonging to art circle tend to ignore creative works of the village folk and thus add their bit not to conserve village culture already gravely undermined by rapid changes. Their concern, particularly of those whose philosophy of life-style revolves round self-ego, are little concerned with the past and the cultural heritage. This vision of theirs often perpetrates that of their former colonial masters and, sometimes, they even go to the extent of deprecating observations made by the great Indian men of art like A.K. Coomaraswamy.

In this context it is nearly paradoxical that they appreciate great modern masters like Gauguin and Picasso without even realising that Gauguin's success depended on his interest in primitive art and that of Picasso on the discovery of African Negro sculpture.

Among the native art forms one of the most ignored is of folk toys, which unfortunately, like many other forms of village culture, has been considered a kind of vanity or at the most as synonymous with mere decoration, but this is not true. They are the products Of artistic and social values combined.

The earliest hand-made toys of punjab can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilisation, dating from 2500 to 1700 B.C. These bear a remarkable resemblance to the traditional toys of a much later period which remained popular through the ages till recently when factory made toys found their way to the villages. However in some of the remote villages traditional toys are still made, though the factory made mass produced toys are pushing them out gradually.

Among the most prominent toys of Indus Valley Civilisation are the exceptionally large number of small terracotta carts. In their expression is a preoccupation characteristic of Indian Art of the subsequent epochs. As example we may cite the immense 12^th century Temple of the Sun at Konark, a building of vast dimensions supported by gigantic stone wheels and conceived and erected in the form of a cart. Or again we might recall the Indian temple carts in which images of the Gods, taken from the shrines, were carried in solemn procession through the streets. These more obvious instances are parallelled by countless later works of folk art depicting animals, equestrian figures and wheeled vehicles, all of which, though varying in quality and intended for different purposes, also mostly as toys, may be regarded as belonging to a constantly recurring type.

Traditional toys generally serve a two-fold purpose. They can be used as playthings by the children and as decoration pieces by the adults. Toys of cloth stuffed with cotton are still made by the women in the villages. Dolls, birds and animals are some of the common subjects. These are embellished with colourful additions of beads, buttons, feathers, tinsels and tassels and also with coweries. Sometimes the body of the toy is appliqued. The material used in this folk art reflects the dynamic spirit of improvisation. Besides their ornamental quality these toys have a sentimental value as well as emotional appeal.

The popularity of the clay toys is diminishing day day but still there are to be seen sporadic instances of miniature dolls in clay, animals and kitchen utensils, roughly coloured with kharia mitti and decorated with motifs in bright colours.

Edible toys in sugar have a great variety of shapes. In village fairs one comes across toys with a scientific touch though naively native in character. In a basin of burnt clay is a figure of a man carrying Lord Krishna and a concealed syphon. When the water is poured into the basin, it rises to the feet of Lord Krishna and flows away, commemorating the rise of the waters of the Jamuna to touch the divine feet.

In the past, village workers would bring a new-born infant toys, representative of their respective trades. Thus, a carpenter's wife would bring a miniature bedstead or a toy cart to earn a rupee from the infant's parents. The potter would bring a small earthen vessel or a toy in clay and the cobbler a leather necklace and receive some grain in return.

In the eastern districts of Haryana, the ironsmith's wife would bring a tiny iron ring for the child's foot and be given a garment or some sweetened bajra in return.

As the countryside is becoming more urbanis , the tradition of handmade toys is dying out and with it the individuality of design. This is not something which can be revived artificially, for to do so would be to get the antithesis of the genuine tradition. But by preserving samples from the past we may, through contemporary designers, regain some of the beauty, individuality and delight of the simple form of old toys. But a prerequisite for this would be that those of the art circle who repudiate everything of the cultural heritage, particularly of native arts and crafts, shun this attitude and, thus, strengthen the mutual understanding of cultural diversity and the affirmation of that identity on which each people's creativity is based.