Also Read
“I have learnt this craft from my father and grandfather. This is the only skill I have,” said Ashish Koley, standing at Behala Chowrasta near the second gate of the Metro with a bundle of handmade toys on his cycle. At 45, he spends his days turning wood, goat hide and bamboo into the damru and tom-tom gari, playthings that once defined childhoods, but are now on the verge of disappearing.
For over a decade, Ashish has travelled from his home in Bolpur to Kolkata to sell these toys. He tried his hand at odd jobs, from masonry work to daily labour, but always returned to the family craft. “I enjoy doing this,” he added, his voice steady, though his earnings are modest. Barely 10 sales a day fetch him enough to get by, since he has no family to provide for.
The damru, an hourglass drum, produces its distinct beat when shaken at the centre, while the tom-tom gari is a pull-along toy built with bamboo and clay wheels that rattle in motion. The tom-toms are painted by hand, using vegetable dyes, the rustic essence of Bengal’s folk traditions.
But the world around him has changed. Imported toys with flashing lights and sounds have replaced these simple creations. “Children still come near me, curious about the sound. It is the parents who ask the price and walk away,” Ashish said. A damru costs between Rs 40 and Rs 100, while the tom-tom gari costs Rs 40. “Is that really too much for something handmade?” he asked.
For a while, he tried selling at Park Street but found no takers. Now he has stationed himself at Behala Chowrasta in the evenings and hopes to move to Gariahat ahead of Durga Puja, where festive crowds might bring better luck.
