India’s toy market stands at around 1.5 Billion USD, which primarily is dominated by imported toys. Moreover, a majority of these toys do not represent Indian heritage, civilization and value systems. India, despite being a home of many globally popular games like Chess, Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, is not among leading developers and manufacturers of toys.
Under the ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’, Toycathon-2021 is conceived to challenge India’s innovative minds to conceptualize novel Toy and Games based on Bharatiya civilization, history, culture, mythology and ethos.
Toycathon 2021 is an inter-ministerial initiative organized by the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell with support from All India Council for Technical Education, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of MSME, Ministry of Textiles and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Toycathon can change Indian toy industry
Apart from the importance of toys as the first friend of the children, the economic aspects of toys and gaming i.e ‘Toyconomy’ as PM Modi termed it is important to boost the India toy industry.
The global toy market is about 100 billion dollars and India has only 1.5 percent of this market. India imports almost 80 per cent of its toys. This means that crores of rupees are being drained out of the country. This needs to change and beyond numbers, and as PM Modi emphasized India’s toy sector has the capacity to bring progress and growth to the neediest segments of society.
Toy industry has its own small-scale industry, artisans comprising rural population, dalits, poor people and tribal population. There is a need for new ideas to be incubated, new start-ups promoted, taking new technology to traditional toy makers and creating new market demand. This is the inspiration behind events like Toyacathon.
Cheap data and growth of the Internet led to rural connectivity and called for exploration of possibilities in virtual, digital and online gaming in India. But most of the online and digital games available in the market are not based on Indian concepts and many such games promote violence and cause mental stress. Today the world wants to learn about India’s capabilities, art and culture and society. Toys can play a big role in that. India has ample content and competence for digital gaming. To take it forward, young innovators and start ups need to be mindful of their responsibility of projecting the true picture of India’s capabilities and ideas to the world.
At the launch of Toycathon, the Prime Minister mentioned that the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence is a huge opportunity for the innovators and creators of the toy industry. Many incidents, stories of our freedom fighters and their valour and leadership can be created into gaming concepts. These innovators have a big role in connecting ‘folk with the future’. There is a need to create interesting and interactive games that ‘engage, entertain and educate’, said PM Modi.
Hence, Toycathon 2021 is a unique opportunity for Students, Teachers, Start-ups and Toy experts/professionals in India to submit their innovative toys/games concepts and win a large number of prizes worth Rs. 50 lakhs. The GOI has said that efforts will be made to commercialize the exceptional toy concepts and they would also receive suitable support from Industry and investors.
FOCUS OF TOYCATHON 2021
- Toy/Games concepts based on Indian civilization, heritage, culture, mythology,history, ethos, technology, ethnicity, national heroes and important events .
- Inculcate positive behaviour and good values(‘Sanskaar’).
- Toys for specially-abled/ Divyanga children.
- Boosting physical and mental fitness.
- Using eco-friendly, indigenous, non-hazardous or recycled material.
- Focus on promoting Vedic Mathematics.
- Encouraging national unity and respecting cultural diversity.
- Supporting missions like Swatch Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Environment Conservation, Climate Change, Digital India, Skill India, Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
- Rediscovering/redesigning traditional Indian toys.
- Toys for pedagogy (for teaching students difficult concepts in Math, Science, Languages, Social Sciences, etc.)
Dr. Niranjan B Poojar 
Balaji Subramanian