In 2011, when Karthik Vaidyanathan visited Channapatna, India’s toy town, its craft of making lacquered wooden toys, was languishing. Despite the town’s hoary past and a Geographical Indicator tag for its toys, sales were sliding, buyers were ambivalent. Artisans were quietly slipping into other professions.
Instead of just trying to rejuvenate the town’s toy industry, Vaidyanathan gave Channapatna’s craft a whole new language. He expanded the repertoire of artisans to include a plethora of inventive products — home products, apparel, fabric, jewellery and, of course, toys with an unusual twist.