Wooden toymaker keeps alive traditional craft

Indigenously crafted wooden toys may have disappeared off the shelves with an influx of cheap Chinese-made alternatives flooding the market, but a determined craftsman here continues to resist the winds of change.
Hard at work in a small shop on the outskirts of Jalandhar, Darshan Singh today said he has been crafting wooden toys for over 30 years now.
Though his earnings are nowhere near enough to make ends meet, he says he still keeps at it because of the satisfaction he derives.
Such toys are still found in places like Jalandhar, Moga, Bathinda, Firozpur and border areas of Punjab, he said.

"When I make these toys, I return to my childhood days," Singh, who migrated here from Lahore at the age of 13, said.
Calling such these toys a symbol of culture and tradition, the toymaker said he wanted future generations to know about it.

Sociologist and writer Ajay Kumar said instead of importing Chinese toys, importance must be given to promoting traditional art forms which can sustain several livelihoods.
Chinese toys are made of plastic and contain chemicals, which are not only harmful to the environment, but also can affect the mental development of growing children, he said.
Punjab Vyapar Sena President Ravinder Dhir also stressed on promotion of wooden toys as an alternative to ones made of plastic.