Chinnapatanam Chanpatna is a small town between Srirangapatnam and Bangalore. The place is famous for its wooden toys. While I have seen some outstanding wooden toys of remarkable ingenuity at numerous toy shops of Chinnapatanam Chanpatna, here, I present something more mundane. I found this giraffe amidst the wooden horses a little queer. Even the expression painted on its face makes you wonder if the giraffe itself is confused about its presence amongst all things equine; unsure of its pecking order.

If you don't mind the correct pronunciation of the place is 'Channapatna' or 'Chanpatna' in local language.
There are many good old poems, which state that 'Chanpatna' was famous for toys since ages.
One of the poem describes the toys of 'Chanpatna' as 'golden toys' ('Channapattanada chinnada bombe')
I don’t know whether it describes the wooden toys as golden or they made golden toys there.
-Swarna

By  Anonymous, at 22.9.05  

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Quite observative, aren't you? :)

This looks as if each one is waiting for its kid. Lovely, as well as lively.

And thanks for the reference on Channapatna (please note that yours truly really don't know the correct pronounciation... :)) Of late I've developed a fancy for wooden and handmade toys. Shall definitely go there one day.

By  sajith, at 22.9.05  

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I hereby dub the Giraffe "Gregory".

By  Anonymous, at 22.9.05  

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Dunno if you are a kannadiga. In Kannada, Chanpatna is also a derogatory term...means third-sex, napunsak ie. castrated male.

Viewed in that sense, your expression "giraffe amidst horse seems queer" is priceless!

Nobody says Chinnapatanam btw...what a nonsense Tamilification of a beautiful Kannada word :)

By  Anonymous, at 23.9.05  

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Thanks for pointing this out Swarna, I'll correct the spelling and my pronunciation :-)

Thanks Sajith!

"Gregory", will that be "Gregory Samsa" of the Metamorphosis fame? "Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant vermin err giraffe ;-)"?

Hey Anonymous - I am not a Kannadiga (though can read/write Kannada and trying to learn to speak a bit) - I am sure you guessed as much from my horrid pronunciation :-)

I wouldn't agree with "nobody says Chinnapatanam" I wrote what I heard people saying, which is not to say that it isn't wrong.

And not sure if it is Tamilification - but I am sure it is better (though still wrong) than horrid Anglicisation we come across of so many city/town names (Tamil itself being nonsense Anglicisation of Tamizh :-)).

By  Deepak, at 25.9.05  

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