Toka Junior

SHIPPED JULY 2020

Skill of the Month

Bandhani or Bandhej

The term bandhani is derived from the Sanskrit root bandh ("to bind, to tie”) Earliest evidence of Bandhani dates back to Indus Valley Civilization where dyeing was done as early as 4000 B.C. We will be exploring this technique in its traditional form by using natural dyes and the sun!

 The Clever Tailor
 The Clever Tailor

Toka Explorer Book Pick

The Clever Tailor

Written By Srividhya Venkat and Illustrated by Nayantara Surendranath

The author Srividhya Venkat has adapted this book from a European folktale.
Rupa Ram is a clever tailor but has one unfulfilled dream! He wants to sew beautiful things for his family too!
When he receives a gift of a beautiful saafa, he is so excited that he wears it everywhere and wears it off. When the saafa is completely worn out, he realizes he still has some cloth left from the saafa to make his wife a odhni! Out of the Odhni comes a Kurta for his boy and out of the Kurta comes a Gudiya for his girl and what comes out of the Gudiya?
A lovely cumulative story that will work fabulously for read-aloud! We loved learning new Hindi words with the story!
The illustrator Nayantara Surendranath brings in the colors of Rajasthan from colorful bandhinis in yellows, pinks, and blues! I loved how Rupa Ram's wife goes to chai with friends and school and sometimes helps Rupa Ram instead of being depicted as cooking in the kitchen!
Sometimes a little can go a long way is a great message to take away from this book!

Subscribe to Toka Explorer Gift a Box
Bandhani

Toka Explorer Activity

Bandhani - The Traditional Art of Tie Dye

Bandhani or Bandhej is the oldest form of tie and dye dating about 5000 years ago. We will use Turmeric as a natural dye and harness the sun this summer to create our own tie dyed tote bag!

Subscribe to Toka Explorer Gift a Box

Not Ready for a Subscription?

Browse Single Boxes from the Past Months

What Our Subscribers Are Saying!

Follow #TokaBoxFeedback and #TokaBox Hashtags on Instagram to see what our susbcribers are saying about Toka Box!

Best South Asian Subscription Box

Ready for a Toka Box?

SIGN UP NOW

TAKE 5% OFF YOUR FIRST BOX WITH CODE 'FIVEOFF' !
Pick a Frequency Gift a Box
Explore Older Themes