Artists make traditional clay toys ahead of Kandhei yatra in Berhampur. Pictures by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, July 2: Catchy tunes or one-liners may no longer be heard about clay toys, but the two century-old tradition of Kandhei yatra lives on. The historic festival of traditional clay toys will be held here from tomorrow.

It was not long ago that lines such as Niya niya niya re bhai, mahuri raija kandhei aehi…budha tharu pua, budhi tharu jhia, sabhinka mana ku niye bhandei (Oh brother! take these toys of Mahuri estate…from old men to little boys, from old women to little girls, these toys allure all and sundry) were on the lips of the residents here, but things have changed with time.

The annual fair held on the night of srabana purnima, however, links the long lost past to the present.

Held a few days after rath yatra, the fair continues till daybreak. The idol of Lord Jagannath at the oldest Jagannath temple at Khaspa Street here is decked with toys of mythical characters to convey their importance.

Traditional toy-makers from the city, rural areas of Ganjam district as well as from the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh sell their creations at makeshift shops lining both sides of the street.

The king of Mahuri estate used to encourage these clay toy-makers during the earlier days. Tripati Nayak, a researcher and a cultural critic, said a priest of Jagannath temple had requested the erstwhile king to start the kandhei jatra.

“The interesting part is that all 10 temples on Khaspa Street remain open throughout the night,” Nayak said, adding that the tradition of exchanging sweets between the friends and relatives on the occasion of the fair had also stopped.

“These days, people prefer sending cash to their loved ones,” said Tripati. Bijay Kumar Mahapatra, 56, a resident of Jharana Nagar in old Berhampur here, has been producing these toys since childhood and is disheartened by the onslaught of time and lack of patronage for clay toys.

In an era where sophisticated plastic, unbreakable toys flood the markets, he struggles to keep the art alive with unwavering dedication and perseverance. With a poor vision and shivering hands, this old toy-maker’s inborn artistic skills reflect on his creations.

“I learnt the art from my father late Chandradhwaja Mahapatra when I was 15. Barring five members of our family, all others have opted for more lucrative professions instead of making clay toys. But those of us, who are trying to save this art from dying, are lagging behind both financially and socially,” Mahapatra said.

Struggling to make ends meet, Mahapatra rues the lack of support and financial aid necessary for promoting this tradition.

“During rath yatra, we sell toys worth Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 and engage ourselves in other work throughout the year. We also make statues of Lord Ganesh, Goddess Durga and other deities when puja committee members ask for our assistance,” Mahapatra said.

He said the process of fashioning clay toys is simple. Craftsmen collect suitable clay, cow dung, tamarind seed powder, khadi stone and wheat flour and make a paste of it. The toys are then crafted with deft hands in traditional style. A touch of paint to the dried toys adds charm to it.

“We applied natural colours on these toys about three decades ago. But with the hike in prices of natural colours, we are now using water colours to give the toys an attractive look,” Mahapatra said.

Some local residents recently formed the Kandhei Yatra Committee to keep this unique tradition alive.

Cultural dos are also organised to celebrate the age-old tradition. Though Khaspa Street is quite congested, people are not willing to shift the fair to an alternative location because of the association with the Jagannath temple in the vicinity.