Karnataka leads tableaux with Channapatna toys theme

The first cultural tableau at the 66th Repulic day parade at Rajpath was from the state of the Karnataka, with its main theme being Channapatna toys.

Channapatna is about 60 km from Bengaluru, famously known as "toy town." The toys from this place are famous world wide for their uniqueness. The traditional toys and dolls made of special wood in colours are protected as a geographical indication (GI) under the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The lacquerware artisans use ivory wood of a special tree grown in the old Mysore region of the state for making the toys and dolls, which are also exported worldwide.

The origins of Channapatna toys dates back to the reign of Tipu Sultan in the 18th century when he invited artisans from Persia to train the locals in making toys using ivory wood, rose wood and sandal wood.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka governmnet will gift a few Channapatna toys to the Republic day chief guest, president Obama, through the external affairs ministry.

During Obama's first visit to India in November 2010, his wife, US First Lady Michelle, bought a few Channapatna's colourful toys worth Rs.2,000 ($25 then) at the National Handicrafts and Handloom Museum in New Delhi. This inspired the state governmnet to come up with the idea of presting these toys to the high-profile guests from America.