Channapatna Toys

En route to Wayanad, we stopped by in Channapatna (60 kms from Bangalore) to take a look at some wooden toys. This small town is famous for its wood work toys and it still retains its old charm.

Here is the link to all the pics that we took of the Channapatna Toys. Hope you enjoy what you see.

The day Gastu got stuck in a trial room

I have passed by this apparel stores many times but never stopped by to see the whole collection. April 6th 2013 happened to be that day when I had some work in a Bank that was next door. On my way back to the car, I stopped by the store to see their range of collection.

It was very hot outside and therefore it was a nice way to cool off, even if it was only for a few minutes. Agastya, my 2 yr 10 month old son was with me. He was very playful, and naughty as only he can be. As I casually walked past the women's apparel and made my way to the men's apparel, I heard Agastya screaming and running past me towards the trial rooms. As I turned around and picked up a shirt, I heard a different scream this time. It was Agastya!! He had locked himself up in the trial room and could not come out.

I tried to go up to the room and tried opening the door, but it wouldn't open. He had not only locked the round knob, but also latched the door from inside. I was petrified, and worried as to how will this guy come out. Luckily, there was some gap between the door and the floor, so we could bend down and see where this guy was. And even more luckily enough, there was a mirror on the opposite wall. So, we could exactly see where the latch and round door knob were. But the big problem was how do we get this guy out.

Agastya could not understand what we were trying to say to him. He latched the door, but he did not have strength or the knowledge to open it. I was trying hard not to yell at his stupidity and childishness, and was also conscious that I could scare him if I yelled at him. Good thing was that he was not scared and felt we were playing with him. The store people were worried that such a thing happened to the customer. They immediately called for help and informed their store owner. They even asked a small kid outside to see if he could fit in the gap between the door and the floor and unlock the door from inside. We even tried reaching the latch by using a long stick. We tried coaching Gastu on how to unlatch. But nothing would work.

As time passed, we got more worried. I was worried thinking if breaking the door was that the only option left.I was even worried if that were to happen, how much would the store owner ask me to pay. A casual window shopping visit could turn into a nightmare. And at that moment, the store owner's friend said he wanted to give it a try. He sweet talked Agastya in to lying down on the floor. He slowly dragged him close to the door and found that he could come out without opening the door. Agastya was afraid, but loved it once he came out of the room. I heaved a sigh of relief and reprimanded Gastu for doing such a foolish thing. It must have been my worry that came out as a different emotion.

In all this, we found that the store keepers were very sweet. They did not bother about the door remaining locked and asked us if the child was doing well. I left the store with Agastya, with an unforgettable incident behind us. I haven't visited the store again yet and I don't know if they have fixed the door, but I know that since then I have been cautious getting into stores with trial rooms.