Toycathon 2021 was launched on 5th Jan and is aimed to conceptualize innovative toys based on the Indian value system which will inculcate the positive behaviour and good value among the children.

Highlights

    • Toycathon is being organized to develop India as the global Toy manufacturing hub.

    • Size of toy market in India is about one billion USD but unfortunately 80% of the toys are imported.

    • Toycathon is an endeavor by the government to create an ecosystem for the domestic Toy industry and the local manufacturers, tapping the untapped resources and utilizing their potential.

    • In order to make India a 5 trillion-dollar economy, Toy industry has huge potential to make India 'Atmanirbhar'.

    • Aligned with the goals of National Education Policy, the Toycathon aims to capture innovative prowess of 33 crores students across the country.

    • This is the first time when school children will innovate, design and conceptualize toys also for especially abled ‘divyang children’.

    • Students and faculty members participating in Toycathon can get prizes upto 50 lakhs.

Special Emphasis

    • Focus on Indian mythology figures, history, culture, ethos, ethnicity, national heroes and important events.

    • Inculcate positive behavior and good values/ sanskaar among children.

    • Toys for specially-abled children

    • Boosting physical and mental activity in children

    • Using eco-friendly, non-hazardous or recycled material

    • Digital games and board games based on Indian Knowledge systems, e.g., ‘Pachatantra’, Mahabharat or Indian astronomy.

    • Focus on promoting Vedic Mathematics

About Toycathon 2021

    • Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), Ministry of Textile, Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Ministry of MSME, Ministry of I&B and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) have jointly launched Toycathon-2021.

    • This is a special kind of hackathon where students and teachers from schools and colleges, design experts, toy experts and startups will get together to crowd source ideas for developing toys and games that are based on Indian culture and ethos, local folklore and heroes, and Indian value systems.

    • While this will greatly help India develop into a global hub for toys and games, it will also help our children to understand the ethos and values of Indian culture as envisaged in the National Education Policy 2020. 

    • The Toycathon is based on nine themes viz. Indian Culture, History, Knowledge of India and Ethos; Learning, Education and Schooling; Social and human values; Occupations & specific fields; Environment; Divyang ; Fitness and sport; Out of the box, creative and logical thinking and Rediscovering/redesigning traditional Indian toys.

    • The Toycathon will have 3 variants of tracks of Junior Level, Senior Level and Start up Level and will allow participation of students and teachers from schools, colleges and universities apart from startups and toy experts.

    • Participants will have two options for idea submission; they can either submit ideas for the published problem statements or under novel toy concepts category.

    • There are two categories of Toycathon: 

        ◦ Online Toys: Electronics/IoT and Mobile/Web App

        ◦ Physical Toys: Board Games, Card Games, Puzzles, Craft/Material based/Static Toys, Dynamic Moving Toys (includes mechanical/mechatronics).

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants. The views expressed here are personal.)