Chiniot artisan keeps wooden tops spinning

Ahmed has been involved in the craft for the past 40 years

LAHORE:

Playing with wooden spinning top is an ancient game of the subcontinent that is becoming extinct. But Mehmood Ahmed has been producing colourful spinning tops for the last 40 years and keeping the ancient game alive.

People from far and wide come to him to buy colourful spinning tops in the design of their choice.

In modern times, children play modern games like the online PUBG but in the city of Chiniot, the art of making and playing with colorful spinning tops is still alive. In the villages of Punjab, children used to play with spinning tops and compete with each other. However, these wooden toys have mostly been replaced by electronic games.

Despite the changing times, there are still dozens of artisans who produce various toys and decorative items from wood. Ahmed's special skill is to make colourful spinning tops.

Mehmood Ahmed told The Express Tribune that he has been involved in the craft for the past 40 years. In addition to spinning tops, he makes wooden bread rollers, madhani, spinning wheels and other toys. His main business is producing colourful spinning tops.

Recalling his childhood memories, Ahmed said he himself was very fond of playing with spinning tops. When he left home to go to school, he would go to a tops manufacturer in his area and sit there for hours, watching the spinning tops being made. “When my family found out that I was sitting in there instead of going to school, they sent me to the factory where I started learning to make spinning tops. I learnt this skill in two and a half years and then, with the permission of the trainer, started making them myself.”

Ahmed says his eyesight has weakened and he often feels unwell. Other toys are made by his son, but he still makes spinning tops with great enthusiasm. He knows that children who used to play with the tops now play modern games on mobile phones, but he wants to keep the ancient games and art of the land alive. Ahmed explained that people from far away came to him to buy spinning tops. They order a lot of spinning tops in different designs and colours and are happy to see his craftsmanship.

He also goes to many cities, including Lahore, Faisalabad, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala and Rawalpindi, to sell spinning tops to shopkeepers. People know him as Rangeela Latu Wala instead of his real name.

Woodwork is not an easy task. For the purpose, first a piece of wood is rounded with the help of a lathe. Then the design is made and the spinning top is given its shape. A nail is driven into the top on which it spins and then it is painted in different colours.

A spinning top sells for Rs20 to Rs50. Ahmed says that the more perfectly round and balanced the top is, the more it will spin. If there is a flaw in its roundness, it cannot spin much longer.

In different rural areas of Punjab, children can still be seen playing with the colorful tops. The top spins faster with the help of a thread on the ground. The child whose top keeps spinning for the longest time wins the game.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2020.