Child's play in Lok Sabha

Teddy bear, Pink, 42 cm; White-faced monkey, Brown (Velvet) 28 cm; Dog with red heart, Green with red nose, 26 cm; Doll with Blue Eyes, Yellow & Orange, 38 cm ... a toy shop's inventory list? No, these are some of the 24 items for which the deputy secretary, General Procurement Branch, had called for a tender under the heading "Procurement of soft toys for the Lok Sabha Secretariat". The mystery of why our elected representatives should require soft toys could not be solved because no one answered the telephone number provided at the bottom of the tender. Could it be a practical joke? Well, the tender is dated April 2, 2013, missing April Fools' Day by a day and the phone number is the same as listed in other Lok Sabha tenders. Either way, the specs on the list provided many laugh-out-loud moments, especially since it also included: Toy boy, Red & Blue, 32 cm.