The legacy of India’s craft culture always occupies a special spot owing to its beauty, dignity, form, style, and aesthetics. India is traditionally known for its rural village and wooden cottage Industries. Among them, Andhra Pradesh has glorious rural artisan handmade traditions in toys. The office of International Relations and Higher Studies conducted a workshop on August 16, 2022, to promote and celebrate the dignity of Kondapalli Toys. These toys are one of the geographical indication handicrafts from Andhra Pradesh.
The workshop belongs to the series of sessions organised as part of Aadigyan, the social leadership programme. Mr Durga Prasad, a traditional Kondapalli artisan of Andhra Pradesh, handled the workshop for two hours. He demonstrated the process of crafting the toys and explained their history. Various tools used for wood carving, division of labor among male and female artisans, social implications of the toys, etc., were discussed in this interactive session. Volunteered students also learned some wood carving basics from the artisan himself.
The rural industry holds a share of ten percent in the decentralised sector. The handicrafts industry is one of the major sectors that offer employment opportunities to a larger number of individuals. Yet the 400 years old industry is not getting the attention it deserves due to a lack of promotion and awareness. Sandeep Samala, the programme coordinator, highlighted the need for spreading the heritage of Kondapalli toys among the younger generation. He also explained how the industry could be approached from a startup’s perspective to amplify the toys’ promotion.