Reviving the traditional cloth toy craft of Haryana

Abstract

Haryana has a rich tradition of handicrafts. Traditional cloth toys are one of the most valuable handicrafts. The rural women of Haryana were expert in making variety of these toys. The most common toys were gindu (ball) gudia (doll), jhoonjhana (rattle), saikal (bicycle with a rider), bail (pair of bullocks, in khadar zone) or oont (a camel in bagar zone), baandar- baandri (pair of monkeys), ghora (horse rider), etc. This traditional art of making cloth toys is now extinct. The present study was an attempt to prove the potential of revival of traditional cloth toy crafts of Haryana. For this purpose the traditional stuffed toy bullock was modified to suit the needs and taste of potential contemporary users. The market potential of the modified toy bullock was got assessed by Indian as well as foreign people at trade fair, Delhi. The assessment was done on the basis of aesthetic appeal, utility, workmanship, uniqueness, colour combination, fabric and traditional value. The overall acceptability of modified toy bullock was found to be very good.