Toy innovation centre to be set up at NID Ahmedabad | Cities News,The Indian Express
With the push from central government to indigenous toys and promotion of toy manufacturing in India, the National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad will soon set up an innovation centre for toys on its campus.
The centre to come up with the collaboration of department of chemicals and petro chemicals under the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers at the premier design institute will also explore new ideas like renting and leasing of toys revolving around the key role of sustainability.
“Under the innovation centre for toys, the focus will be more on toys that can be designed looking at psychological and cognitive development of a child, along with designs based on specific needs that can be taken to the markets,” NID Director Prof Praveen Nahar told The Indian Express.
Prof Gayatri Menon, a senior NID faculty said, “Toys provide such a multi sensorial experience that they are very good for children with special needs. With toys being interactive and helping in physical development, development of observational skills and creative expressions having a tactile experience, this is one area which can be explored as we need to work on inclusive classroom education and to create this sort of playful environment for special children.”
Prof Menon has already been associated with a lot of projects on toys and inclusive education. There can also be collaborators like child psychologists, material experts, designers or organisations or specific groups working for special children.
“Also, since the new National education Policy (NEP) also stresses on a toy based pedagogy we have to explore how we can align ourselves with this so that we are able to manufacture toys with a lot of acceptability as well as sustainability. Since, we have a tradition of passing on toys to generations, ideas of good toys that can help maintaining a circular economy is one area that would be looked at,” added Prof Nahar.
The NID’s centre will also look at need identification, design and development of industrial toys in India at the same time bringing new elements of technology and design.
NID to host virtual exhibition
NID Ahmedabad is participating in Government of India’s initiative ‘The India Toy Fair 2021’ which started from February 27 through the first-ever digitally accessible exhibition and platform from its campus. Toys developed by NID students put up for exhibition revolves around five broad areas including how can toys and games make learning playful and fun in pre-school and school education andhow can play experiences be designed for the overall development of children..