Building a toy story
An exhibition on traditional toys that left Generation Alpha kids from a Bandra school awestruck.
The expression on the students’ faces were that of awe and disbelief. The doll house, the puppets, and games like ‘ghar, ghar’ — all seemed otherworldly.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya’s Museum on Wheels chimed its way into The Bai Avabai Framji Petit Girls High School in Bandra on Monday morning, with an exhibition dedicated to traditional toys. Stories at Play is an exhibition that stages our mythological wealth using toys. “India has a long tradition of toys and games that dates back to nearly 5000 years ago with the Harappan civilisation. The tradition of toys still survives and keeps changing according to time and space. Each region in India has its own distinct style of making toys and crafting dolls,” reads the exhibition note.
So whether through the Dashavatara dolls (used in creating scenic representations of mythological stories), or a diorama depicting Narasimha killing demon king Hiranyakashipu, or through the one depicting various animal fables from the Panchatantra, the show lays emphasis on how each toy has its own story to tell, and how these toys can be used to craft and present our cultural kaleidoscope. The school’s principal, Diana D Marfatia, says “I jumped at the opportunity when I learnt that the exhibition dealt with storytelling through traditional toys. It’s a dormant practice now. And we like to keep reminding our children that there was a lot of merit in the things we did in the past, and that tradition has its place.”
The expression on the students’ faces were that of awe and disbelief. The doll house, the puppets, and games like ‘ghar, ghar’ — all seemed otherworldly.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya’s Museum on Wheels chimed its way into The Bai Avabai Framji Petit Girls High School in Bandra on Monday morning, with an exhibition dedicated to traditional toys. Stories at Play is an exhibition that stages our mythological wealth using toys. “India has a long tradition of toys and games that dates back to nearly 5000 years ago with the Harappan civilisation. The tradition of toys still survives and keeps changing according to time and space. Each region in India has its own distinct style of making toys and crafting dolls,” reads the exhibition note.
The toys are made from ecofriendly substances such as wood, clay, stone and cloth to recreate figures and events, from the real world as well as folklore, legends and myths. “The CSMVS has a fabulous collection of traditional Indian toys and games, many of which are not even produced anymore. While this exhibition is designed to reintroduce these toys to children through the medium of stories, it also carries a flavour of nostalgia for those who have grown up playing with these toys,” shares the museum’s education officer, Bilwa Kulkarni. “While digital toys have their advantages, these are isolated experiences. They can never replace the benefits of physically holding a toy and sharing it with others. Through this exhibition, we want to invite children to engage more with traditional toys, stoke their imagination and craft.”
So whether through the Dashavatara dolls (used in creating scenic representations of mythological stories), or a diorama depicting Narasimha killing demon king Hiranyakashipu, or through the one depicting various animal fables from the Panchatantra, the show lays emphasis on how each toy has its own story to tell, and how these toys can be used to craft and present our cultural kaleidoscope. The school’s principal, Diana D Marfatia, says “I jumped at the opportunity when I learnt that the exhibition dealt with storytelling through traditional toys. It’s a dormant practice now. And we like to keep reminding our children that there was a lot of merit in the things we did in the past, and that tradition has its place.”
