about a fortnight back when i was in kolkata i visited the crossword book store.i like the place for its quiet and simple ambience. i spent a couple of hours browsing through the latest books,had some hot chai and picked up a few books in the process.i also went to the toys section as i coudn't imagine myself returning home emptyhanded without any gifts for our dear grandchildren-r1 and r2.
r1 will be completing 2 years early next week while r2 is 6 months young.both are lovely little girls.r1 is a puzzle guzzler.so,a puzzle is a must must gift. and she loves to play with colours.therefore, a colourbook is also 'de riguer' when i go outstation. r2 watches all the hungama her elder sister makes with absolute mirth in her eyes almost saying "hey sis,what's all this fuss about? in addition to the compulsory gifts,this time i got a teddy bear chair for r1 and a musical rabbit for r2. they are fond of our two cockerspaniels mango and cherry.i decided to bring in two more animals to provide them with a virtual zoo at home.
the bear chair is a cute bear headrest made out of vinyl and very portable(inflatable) hopefully durable and comfortable.the rabbit sings when a button is pressed and even taps with one leg and shakes the others.it's fun watching the rabbit in action.these toys are made in china and they are pretty inexpensive.one has to be careful with toys from china because of the toxicity in some of their products. sadly,our toys don't match up to the china standards.though i have bought wooden choppus from chennapatna and other toys in mumbai toy shops they fall far short of the ingenuity of the chinese. the toy market in india is huge.unlike when we were young and hardly played with toys,the present generation of parents literally dump their children with all sorts of toys.it is high time we start excelling in this industry and give the chinese a run for their money.
4 comments:
Uncle..R1 and R2 and lucky to have a grandfather like you :)...The toys are really cute and I am sure they are going to have a ball playing with it..
What you said about the toy market is very very true...I think its high time Indians start to invest on toy market..But do you think the quality control will be any better than China?
Kavya
thanks kavya for the fine sentiments you have expressed.r1 and r2 like the rabbit but they are not very comfortable with the bear chair.it topples forward when you sit on it because it is so light.and once children get a bad first experience,they tend to avoid that object.i have to wire my engineering brain and see whether i can do something about the design defect.
i think the government needs to encourage the toy industry. it is not just fun for children,it is a learning process. and what could be a better way to learn at that age?
actually the quality coming from china is not all that good.and it widely varies.there isn't any consistency.which means hardly any quality control.but because it is cheap,the bad quality gets overlooked.i am sure we can produce toys of international standards given the necessary incentives and encouragement.
Uncle...May be inflate it with less air instead...
Kavya
hello kavya
will try.thanks.
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