Into the Wood Work

The wooden craft of toy-making from Varanasi finds new life through ‘Lattu’ as Kaushiki Agarwal reimagines them with contemporary utilitarian designs

- Nupur Roopa

I am at a friend’s place for lunch in Delhi one December afternoon. The cold in the wind pierces my bones. And so, to sit inside a cosy room and sip ginger chai is sheer bliss. As I sip from a peculiar glass inside a bright wooden glass, I sense a distinct déjà vu. Somewhere, sometime, I have experienced the red, green and yellow on wood. My mind is busy sorting memories as I close my eyes and take another sip. But it lingers, evades and vanishes before I can grasp it.

That night, I realize that those tea glasses have a connection with the wooden miniature kitchen set I received as a gift a long time ago. I see myself walking with friends through the congested by-lanes of Varanasi on a school trip. As twelve-year-olds, we weren’t that interested in the Benaras silks nor did we have the money. Yet, we yearned to take a piece of Varanasi with us. That’s when we found shops selling wooden toys like tops, kitchen sets and dolls.