Gauribidanur set to become second toy town

Karnataka is all set to get its second ‘gombegala ooru’ (toy town) with Gauribidanur in Chikkaballapur district readying to launch a set of 25 toys, which, unlike the popular Channapatna toys, will be mathematical and literacy based.

The bamboo toys, which will be trademarked and branded as ‘Gauribidanur toys’, will be targeted at both domestic and international markets with the sole aim of making mathematics an enjoyable learning process among children and adults alike.

These toys will help solve and understand both simple and advanced mathematical problems like the decimal system, theorems like Pythagoras, proportionality, algebraic relationships, Dudeney dissection, permutations and factorials.

Though the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST) in the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has funded this toy project, the ownership of the product will be with the Dr H N Science Centre in Gauribidanur.

The idea which germinated two years ago was conceptualised six months ago by IISc professor K P J Reddy and math communicator V S S Sastry.

Sastry, who has popularised the art of teaching mathematics through origami, has designed these toys, which will be manufactured with bamboo.

Reddy told DH that Wayanad-based not-for-profit organisation Uravu had been tasked with developing the prototypes of these toys. Uravu has established itself as a one-stop shop for all bamboo-based solutions.

“These toys will not only help the child connect with maths, they will also make it an enjoyable process. Prototypes of five toys have already been developed. By August-end, the prototypes of the remaining models will be developed, following which the products will be manufactured in bulk and sold. These types of toys are not available anywhere else in the world. The idea is to brand these toys, and in the process brand Gauribidanur town. We have not worked out the costing as yet as we are mainly focusing on brand building in the beginning,” added Reddy.

For starters, the toys which will be protected with trademark registration will be sold in a store which will be set up in Gauribidanur.

Reddy said that KSCST will purchase the toys and make them available to schools across the state.

“The ultimate aim is to make these toys available from the weekly ‘santhe’ (fair) in Gauribidanur to New York airport,” he added.