Madhya Pradesh: Innovation and govt's assurance provide glimmers of hope to Budhni's toy artisans

Budhni (Sehore), Madhya Pradesh

Thakur Das Sharma, a 65-year-old resident of Madhya Pradesh's Budhni town belongs to a family whose ancestors are regarded as the founders of the Budhni toy craft industry in Sehore district's quiet town.

"During the pre-partition era, my grandfather Ramprasad Sharma had gone to Mumbai to search for livelihood. There, he learnt the craft of making wooden toys. Upon returning to Budhni, he taught this craft to my father Madanlal Sharma who soon opened a small workshop and sold these toys for the first time in Budhni," Thakur Das, a man who has seen the rise and decline of the craft from close quarters, told Gaon Connection.

"Soon, many neighbours also started setting up their workshops and gradually this cluster of toy-making cottage industries became famous across the country and became Budhni's identity.., but these days, the craft is just surviving somehow. There is little profit in being a toy maker these days," he added.

The bright coloured wooden toys from Budhni — a small town situated 69 kilometres away from the state capital Bhopal — have traditionally been a favourite amongst the tiny tots but with the passage of time and the advent of technology, there has been a steady decline in their demand.

'Lost our shops to highway'

Bhagirath Sharma, a 51-year-old artisan who has been practising toy-making for more than three decades complained that the construction of a highway in 2014 spelled disaster for the toy-markets in Budhni.

"Earlier travellers from various states and cities used to pass by our shops near a railway crossing. They often bought our toys but ever since this bypass highway [National Highway-46] was constructed in 2014, our sales have dropped and the majority of artisans have quit their craft," Bhagirath told Gaon Connection.

He informed that even the artisans who have bravely stood the tough times are operating at about 10% -15% of their actual capacity. "Earlier there were at least 40 households engaged in making these toys but now there are barely eight to ten such workshops," he told Gaon Connection.

"The industry has never witnessed such a sharp decline as it did in the last ten years. Wooden toys are merely seen as decorative pieces now and they are not sought after as they were in the olden days. Last year, mukhyamantri [Chief Minister] Shivraj Singh Chouhan had assured us of setting up a toy market here but nothing has been done so far," he added.

Mukesh Sharma, his neighbour, echoed his views on the hardships faced by the artisans.

"Earlier, our entire household used to contribute to toy making but for the last ten years or so, people have stopped participating in the family tradition and have switched to other occupations. Even the household expenses are not met by the profits we earn by selling these toys. When was the last time you saw a child playing with a wooden toy? China-made plastic toys have invaded the market. It is difficult to survive in this trade," he said.

Govt assures artisans of brighter days

Last year, on November 6, Chief Minister Chouhan while attending the Budhni Toy Festival, had assured that the town will be developed as a toy cluster and Budhni's toys will be linked to markets across the world through e-commerce.

When Gaon Connection contacted the district incharge of the Madhya Pradesh Hastshilp Evam Hathkargha Vikas Nigam Limited [Handicraft and Handloom Development Authority], the official informed that the efforts to set up a cluster of toy industry park on six hectares of land in Budhni are underway.

"Apart from the toy cluster in Budhni, a shopping complex will also be constructed there and we are about to set up toy stalls at Bhopal's historical monument Gauhar Mehel. We are also ensuring that there is no dearth of raw materials needed by the artisans and we motivate them to stick to the usage of natural colours while painting the toys," Harish Sitha told Gaon Connection.

Innovation — a shot in the arm

In sharp contrast with the artisans' woes about their failing trade, 48-year-old Vinod Kumar Sharma is hopeful of reviving his craft by innovating it.

"There is no doubt about the diminishing demand for the traditional wooden toys. We all need to reinvent ourselves to survive the changing times. I have switched to making puzzle games and educational toys which are in great demand these days. I had to buy an expensive laser cutting machine to make these toys but it's a good investment," the 48-year-old said.

"We are making these toys for the school students in the rural pockets and are in talks with the education department which is willing to procure our toys for the schools. I am also training six to seven women to operate the laser cutting machines so that they develop a skill and earn a living," he added.

Meanwhile, 70-year-old Hemraj Sharma, another artisan, complained that with the advent of technology and demand for better toys, the industry needs easy credit facilities to buy machines.

"We are not treated as laghu udyog (micro enterprises) and banks refuse to provide us loans citing plethora of reasons. We will be greatly relieved if the government helps in making loans accessible by our artisan community," he told Gaon Connection.