Published in "Swagat" Formerly the Inflight mag of Indian Airlines


Etikoppaka ... A Colorful Global Reach

The toys are vivid and sparkling, colourful and attractive at once. The educational variety in particular, are much sought after in Western lands, especially in Germany, Havana, Hungary and the East European Bloc. The bangles and earrings are a rave at the Lakme Fashion Shows in Hyderabad and sell like hot cakes, not only for their unique designs but particularly for their finish and finesse. Yes, the lacquer-painted wooden toys, utilities and fashion accessories from Etikoppaka have carved a niche for themselves in the world market for their exquisite and eco-friendly craftsmanship. From creating mythological figurines and carvings resembling the shapes unearthed at the sites of Harappa and Mohenjadaro, the artisans of Etikoppaka, a small village on the banks of the Varaha River in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh, have gone international with the gamut of items they churn out for the modern consumer.

A jaguar aircraft and a trail of trains are some of the latest from Etikoppaka Toy makers, crafted from the neem and jamun wood. The latest addition to wooden craft is eco-friendly paper, made entirely from banana stem! The biodegradable bags, greeting cards, brochures and visiting cards are made out of the stem fibre of banana plant. The manually sliced banana trunk after the fruit is harvested, is placed in a depither to separate the pith from the fibre. The fibre is washed thoroughly and placed in a beater with adequate quantities of water to make a fine pulp that is then laid out into sheets, dried and passed through a rolling and cutting machine for smoothening and sizing the paper to standard texture and size. The paper is then used for making several objects including bags that can carry up to five kilos of weight, their handle being crafted from sisal fibre. The pith is used as compost and water used in the paper-making process is used in the fields.

Etikoppaka meaning, a group of houses on the banks of the river, is a sparsely populated village of about 12,000 people, most of who are agriculturists. The toys of Etikoppaka recreate the world of the past, and imprint the rich heritage of our country and of the age-old Indian traditions and culture for children and youngsters of this generation. And that is not all. From the traditional depiction of mythological characters and deities to the host of musical instruments, rattles, tops and dolls symbolic of the rural folk, flora and fauna, these aesthetic creations adorn the living rooms of the elite in equal measure as they are displayed on festive occasions especially of typical South Indian homes during Diwali and Dusera. Their enchanting designs, bright colours, earthly appeal and utility value, particularly as office stationary have created a niche market for them in India and abroad.

The entire range of products are crafted from locally available wood, particularly, the Ankudu, (Wrightia tinctoria) and dyes also obtained from indigenously grown plants, trees and flowers. Some of these include the marigold, wild turmeric, Indian Gooseberry, the Arjun tree, Brahmi, Ratan Jyot, to name a few. C.V. Raju who picked up this art form from his ancestors, has sought to revive it in an organized fashion. In doing so he has gone global and has been able to provide a source of employment to the youth of Etikoppaka, through Padmavathi Associates that has come to be synonymous with Etikoppaka toys. Ninety village artisans, sixty males and thirty females, are now part of Padmavati Associates, founded by Raju to train, refine & upgrade skills of these craftspeople and help market their products. Etikoppaka products are being exported to the USA and Europe, mainly. There is specific demand for tops, catch balls, tic tac toe and other educational toys in most of the Western countries. Padmavathi Associates are now exploring new marketing windows in Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Havana.

The high point of the revival act has been to replace the chemical and synthetic dyes with colors derived entirely from indigenous vegetation. The National Innovation Foundation bestowed Raju with the State Award, presented to him in December 17, 2003 by the former President of India, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. In 2006 he received the South Asia Seal of Excellence for his wares, authenticating in no uncertain terms that his toys meet international quality standards.

Raju, the contemporary face of the village’s craft today, has made Etikoppaka a byword for quality handicraft. From procurement of raw materials to the creation of natural dyes, to developing techniques to enhance their shelf life, to designing motifs and changing them constantly to offer something innovative, product diversification, and finally marketing the wares, Raju has systematically structured every process and procedure. In addition, he has actively engaged himself in creating the environs conducive for the artisans to come out with their creative best. By organizing the craftsmen under the registered parent body of Padmavathi Associates, premised at Hastha Kala Nilayam, Etikoppaka, he has sought to make available to them financial support through soft loans from banks, health cards, life and medical insurance coverage through linkages with the ICICI Bank, LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) and through the office of the Development Commissioner, Handicrafts.

Raju’s revival instinct and innovative spirit have enabled him to reach out to the Fine Arts Department of Andhra Pradesh University, the National Institute of Fashion Technology and the National Institute of Design for development of newer designs and products. A few remarkable ventures undertaken by the artisans of Padmavathi Associates has been crafting elegant candle stands for the German market and specially designed castings for a unique range of timepieces for Titan.

The growing domestic and international market for lacquerware has inspired Raju to enhance product design and crafting techniques. As a result, young artisans are constantly exposed to craft exhibitions and workshops across the country. Learning and training have thus become a continuous process at Padmavati Associates. Says 22 year old Srinivas, “I have been with Padmavathi Associates for the last two years before which I used to make these toys using synthetic dyes as my father Dhamu does even now. But I can definitely see the difference in the quality between the toys made from synthetic dyes and these natural dyes that Raju sir has developed and introduced here. My earnings have also increased substantially since becoming a part of Padmavathi Associates since I now have a definite market for my products. My earnings per month have increased at least threefold now and the best part is that I don’t have to go looking for customers to buy my wares.” Sanni Babu and Easwar Rao who have been working with Padmavathi Associates now for 18 years and 8 years respectively, echo Srinivas’ sentiments.

Lacquering is done on a lathe that is both hand and machine-operated. The one or the other is used depending on the objects crafted, the hand lathe being used for the sleek, delicate objects. All dyes are prepared from wood, bark, leaves and plants that are locally grown, kept for ageing in earthenware or copper vessels and varying periods of time and stored in dry form. Specific colours have their particular procedures for extraction and ageing. For instance, to obtain Red or Orange color, one kilo of Bixa Orenella is combined with two litres of water and boiled for 20 to 30 minutes. The concentrate is cooled, filtered, dried and stored.

The concentrates so obtained do not require any chemicals as fixatives, thickeners or binding agents. Rather, these are all obtained from various natural plant sources. As a result, the products so turned out are completely free of toxic substances such as titanium dioxide and lead which find their way into the synthetic dyes used by other toy manufacturers, even at Etikoppaka. While all the objects made by the artisans of Padmavathi Associates are absolutely safe for children who have a penchant for putting anything in their mouth, these items have a pleasant sheen and tone to them, brought on by the lacquer.

For the last ten years, the community at Etikoppaka has been generating its own raw materials. According to Raju, they have been allocated 300 acres of land for development and regeneration of raw materials under the Community Forest Management (CFM) funded by the World Bank. So far the artisans and the farmers together have planted 1.12 lakh trees, all of which are the non-timber species. Of this total 67,000 are of Ankudu, and the rest are mixed wood. By 2012, the artisans hope to become self-sufficient on the raw material front, deriving it all from their own CFM land. Presently, part of the wood requirement is met from around the village.

The artisans, through Padmavati Associates, are obtaining their lacquer supply of 1.2 tons per annum from the Lacquer Research Institute, Ranchi, purchasing it at the rate of Rs.300 – Rs.340 per kilo. Button Lacquer, so-called because of its shape, is slowly heated in an open coal-fired oven. Oxidation takes place as it is melted and stretched several times over to obtain a uniform texture and sheen. The warm, stretched lacquer is then coated with the required colour and yet again melted and stretched to get an even colouring of the entire surface which is molded into coloured sticks. These sticks are applied to the toys and artifacts while turning on lathe.

On the accomplishments of the artisans, apart from Raju himself having won awards at the national level, Sri Sailappa Chenna Acharya, won the National Award in 2004 for his creation of “The Eggs”, thirty of them, one inside the other, the last egg being the size of a pin head! The eggs, all crafted from the Ankudu, are partially translucent and took Archarya, an entire month’s labor. However, subsequent sets have been taking all but a week to create, says Srinivas, in the absence of his friend and co-artisan Acharya.

The products of Padmavathi Associates are displayed from time to time in all the galleries of India and more recently, the group established its contact with the Central Cottage Industry Corporation of the Central Government, Ministry of Textiles to ensure domestic market for their products.

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