At a time when plastic and rubber toys rule the market, artisans in Ganjam district are crafting them in the traditional way. From dolls to animal masks and vegetable shapes, the toys come in various forms and sizes.
Chadhiapalli, a small village in Bhanjanagar tehsil of Ganjam district in Odisha, is home to around 15 artisan families making exquisite toys from cow dung. Villagers of Chadhiapalli have been practising the art of making cow dung toys for the last 60 years.
“It’s not as easy as it seems. There is a lot of hard work that goes into the process,” said Gautam Maharana, an artist of Chadhiapalli village. He added, “It takes three to four days to make a toy using cow dung. There is a daily involvement of five to six hours in this work. My grandfather started this art form in the village. We, the third generation of my family, are still practising this art of toy-making.”
The artisans collect cow dung from neighbouring villages. They then turn into a fine paste and mix it with another paste of tamarind seeds. The mixture is then moulded into various shapes, ranging from kings, queens, birds, vegetables, elephants and horses. These figures are dried in the sunlight for a day. The artists then use water colour to paint these cow dung toys. The colourful organic toys are then ready for sale or exhibitions.
Jhunu Maharana, 60, recalls the time when she came to this village as a new bride, unaware of this handicraft. She learnt the art of making cow dung toys here from her mother-in-law.
“Being a housewife, I have some family responsibilities,” Jhunu said. “After finishing all the household work, we prepare cow dung toys. Tourists from different places visit our village and when they appreciate this art form, it brings smiles on our faces and a sense of accomplishment at having done something unique.’’
These cow dung dolls are priced between Rs 50 and Rs 1,000. Teachers from nearby schools buy them for use as teaching learning materials in projects. During Danda Nacha, a famous festival in Ganjam district, artists of Chadhiapalli prepare different kinds of masks from cow dung. These masks of animals like tigers, lions and elephants are used in dance performances during the festival. The artists also sell these hand-made cow dung products at different handicraft exhibitions and local fairs across Odisha.
The most striking thing about cow dung toys is that they are eco-friendly, unlike the plastic toys available in the market. These are perfect for people looking for organic products. This art form also showcases the practice of converting waste to wealth.
However, the biggest challenge that artisans face is adequate marketing of the products. The popularity of cow dung dolls is mainly confined to Ganjam district. Even in this digital age, these are not yet available on any e-commerce site.
“We need the government to help us in promoting our work. Some financial assistance and training programmes are needed to carry on this art of making cow dung dolls,” said Gautam Maharana.
The future for these artisans depends on mass patronage of their craft, and help from the right quarters in ensuring that their cow-dung toys get the popularity they deserve.
The lead image on top depicts children wearing eco-friendly animal masks made of cow dung in Odisha’s Ganjam district. (Photo by Satyabrata Panigrahy)
Satyabrata Panigrahy is a feature writer who writes on science, art and culture.
