The Colors of Channapatna..
Fascinating colors of Channapatna toys lured me and my guests every time we visited Cauvery, the fabulous finish of the Lacquer, the soul of Channapatna toys amazed us with the combinations of wonderful patterns and the charming colors..
Here are some delights captured…
Lacquers, made from the resin of the tree Rhus verniciflua, produce very hard, durable finishes that are both beautiful, and very resistant to damage by water, acid, alkali or abrasion.
The word “lacquer” comes from the lac insect (Laccifer lacca, formerly Coccus lacca), whose secretions have been historically used to make lacquer and shellac.
The artisans have been using these organic vegetable colours since the beginning to bring smiles on the faces of the children who seem to get ‘connected’ with them naturally…
Channapatna always brings the memories of toys of my childhood, A best place in the country for desi-toys.
Unfortunately this time @ Republic day parade the tableau from Karnataka i.e. Channapatna toys was rejected telling there was nothing related to national interest in it but later I was learnt that the prize winner tableau of this year was from Orissa which represented the toy industry of that state.
Great pics. Sad that our tableau was rejected. And surprising that Orissa’s won a prize too despite having the same concept.
What do they mean by Channapatna toys not being of national interest? Were Orissa’s nationally more important?
Wonderful pictures. Brings back memories of picking up the merry-go-around and the ferris-wheel and most especially the noisy noise-maker for my boys :-)
But I have to say that the paint chips off even before the kids can play with them. I am not too sure if the paint is lead-free and all vegetable-dye. They look a tad too bright. I would be careful with little kids putting them into their mouths. I go home to Mysore through this town :-) and have found the toys far cheaper in Mysore than in Chennapatna!!