Leather Toys - Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Ujjain is one of the holy places of India, which is noted for conducting the most noted event, Kumbh Mela. It is held for every twelve years. The event is a mass gathering of people from various places. It is a major event in the life of the city Ujjain. Millions of people come and take a dip in the sacred river. With the sacred events that go on, the city is ancient and is the largest in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The city is known for its tradition and culture. There are interesting activities that capture one's eye, handicrafts being one among those – stone crafts and leather goods are noted ones.
Leather tanning is said to be the oldest human activities. Earlier the skins obtained from hunting could be used for clothing or making tents, but they became stiff at temperatures and rotted cause of heat, to prevent from this animal fat is rubbed to make it strong and flexible. Another process is smoking, which almost started like by an accident and became formaldehyde tanning. This is found in the vapors produced by burning green leaves and branches, after this, another method was found to stop the rotting of leather which was drying or dehydrating action of salt. Vegetable tanning was also known. There was an advancement in the processing technique during the 12th century. Oil tanning and finishing were carried to improvise on the malleability and appearance of the leather. The leather is a kind of material that is very durable and flexible. It is obtained by processing animal skin. The skin undergoes many processes before putting it into the use of making the leather products. There are many kinds of goods that are made of leather in India. Few of them are trunks, suitcases, vanity cases, handbags, wallets, purses, passport holders, cardholders, diary covers, belts, and caps. There are various kinds of leather available depending on the unique textures and rich colors. The pleasure of working with leather is in the longevity of the products that last beyond the years of fabrics.
Leather toys of Ujjain are very much known to the world. The toys are exported mostly as there is a huge demand. Initially, people were involved in just trading but gradually they got into the knowledge of how the toys were made and began the manufacturing unit of these leather toys. The manufacturing of these leather toys has been running successfully from years. The raw materials are obtained from Indore (one of the main supplies of leather).
Ujjain toys are most noted and they made up of leather-coated sheets. Briefly, the structure of the toy is made roughly from the wires. The paper roll is stuffed and tied. A mixture of paper pulp is applied to give the shape of the animals. It is allowed to dry and coated with leather sheets.
