Golu featuring deities, birds and animals drawn from sugarcane bagasse molds teaches kids about free-form shapes
Golu featuring deities, birds and animals drawn from sugarcane bagasse molds teaches kids about free-form shapes
City-based Suresh Kumar Viswanathan, founder of Craftoons, an eco-friendly toy maker, says, “Every mold we make from bio-degradable waste like sugarcane bagasse or paddy straw becomes a learning tool for kids. Is.” His Golu, featuring handcrafted deities, peacocks, cows, parrots and elephants made from sugarcane bagasse moulds, is attracting a steady stream of visitors, especially school students from the city. “Our dolls are a mix of arts and crafts. While children make the doll by hand, for example, a peacock using a round mold and a heart shape (for the feathers), they also learn to use colors for a neat finish. Two round molds put together form the head and body of the cow while the tortoise mold forms the base of the Shivling. As they mold, they learn about free-form shapes and bio-miniatures, which are shapes adapted from nature,” explains Suresh, who also makes molding machines.
Golu Toys Made Of Paper Molds | photo credit: Shiv Saravanan
As a machine maker, one of Suresh’s first projects was to replace plastic egg trays with eco-friendly ones for the egg market in Namakkal. , Tamil Nadu has the second largest egg production area. “I started making pulp molding machines that basically turned paper pulp into trays, beer mugs and cups. Later, I discovered eco-friendly toys as plastic toys flooded the market. I started making toy molds from sugarcane bagasse and also started exporting to Japan and America, Malaysia and Singapore.
Biodegradable molds made from sugarcane bagasse | photo credit: Shiv Saravanan
The molds come in 14 shapes and sizes, and are used as an activity tool at Montessori schools in the city.
Golu Toys | photo credit: Shiv Saravanan
“They use the material for the craft activity to make sunflowers, unicorns or piggy banks. They also use it to learn three-dimensional design where they mix molds with clay or with origami, aimed at improving logical thinking and creativity. The activity of making an idol for Golu was a part of this exercise.”
Golu Craftoons, SSS Towers (2nd Floor), Mettupalayam Road is open for public viewing from 9 AM to 8 PM till 5 October.