Chintalapati Venkatapathi Raju

Chintalapati Venkatapathi Raju, often called C. V. Raju, is a craftsman and grassroots innovator from Etikoppaka village in Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalli district who has helped bring the village’s lacquered wooden toys back to life. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2023 in the field of art, from Andhra Pradesh ^[1].

Colours from plants

Raju was born on 14 May 1963 at Jonnavalsa in Vizianagaram district and finished school in 1979 ^[2]. The toys of Etikoppaka were a fading craft when he began looking for plant sources of colour that contained no lead ^[2]. He tested roots, bark, stems, leaves, fruit and seeds, and worked out natural dye concentrates in a wide range of shades, including a deep red and indigo ^[2]. He also developed new tools and methods so the artisans could make brighter and more varied products ^[2].

Because the toys are smooth, rounded and coloured with natural dyes, they are safe for small children ^[2]. Raju designed new shapes to suit today’s buyers while sticking to the old method, and he brought other artisans of the village into the work, giving them jobs close to home ^[2].

Support and recognition

The National Innovation Foundation backed him with working capital and a community laboratory at his workshop for research and product development ^[2]. In 2002 he received the foundation’s national grassroots innovation award from President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam ^[2]. INTACH’s Visakhapatnam chapter gave him a lifetime achievement award in 2009, and in 2018 he was an innovation scholar in residence at Rashtrapati Bhavan ^[2]. The Prime Minister spoke about his work on Etikoppaka toys in the 68th episode of Mann Ki Baat ^[2].