Lattu , I think everyone in our country and probably in this subcontinent knows about this toy. Lattu is may be one of the most popular traditional Indian toy !
Lattu – the spinning top toy
We have discussed about the famous beyblade in our previous posts and hence I thought to talk about this beautiful and traditional Indian toy which has the possibility to become as famous as other spinning top toys.
Well I am not saying beyblade and Lattu are same, but definitely has lot of possibilities !
Friends welcome to our post on this traditional Indian spinning top toy, which is as cool as beyblade !
Lattu Images
In the villages of Bihar to the inner city of Udaipur and Jodhpur. From the bylanes of Hyderabad and Chennai, this was a common toy across India.
But with new and modern toys these traditional toys have lost their sheen and significance.
Though it can still be seen around, these are more used as a decorative item.
Lattu in hindi – Is this a hindi word?
Lattu in hindi or urdu, also called as Bambram in Tamil and Bongaralu in Telgu is a very simple toy. A traditional toy which was once seen across India.
Lattu in English
I did not find a toy which really resembles a Lattu in real sense. So may this word is more native to this subcontinent.
But I did find something called as Teetotum. May be this is as close.
So from my perspective lattu meaning in english is just – Spinning top toy
What is a Lattu made up of?
A Bambram or Bongaralu as it is also called, is made of three basic parts
- Wooden top
- A nail on which the wooden top is mounted
- A string which is used to spin the top and also pick the top in case of a game
The wooden top spins on the nail. The string is first tied across the top and the its released in such a way that the top hits the ground and starts spinning.
Now it is not that easy and requires practice and hence you will find kids above lets say 6 or 7 years able to play with this toy.
How to play Lattu
This Indian traditional spinning top toy is fairly easy to play. This toy can be played alone or in group.
There are no set rule. A group of kids, release the toy together. Which spins till end is the winner.
Another variation of the game is that pick the Lattu back using the same string in such a way that the string gets wound across the Lattu as it was before. This is more difficult to do.
lattu clipart black and white
There are lot of websites on internet where you will have these images which can download
below are some clipart links – which is in black & white
http://clipart-library.com/free/spinning-top-clipart-black-and-white.html
Summary
There has been a lot written about various modern days toys about how they help in child’s development. And same is true of traditional Indian toys.
Lattu for example is very scientific. How does a Lattu manages to spin on a needle?
If you look at the Lattu’s top you will see that its more a pyramidal structure, with grooves around to tie the string.
The pyramid shape structure helps Lattu with “Gyroscopic Effect” which in turn helps it maintain balance while spinning.
It does actually helps the child in various ways. It actually one of the best toy to practice for improving concentration and hand to eye coordination.
Team play also helps improving social interactions.
As a parent we tend to give kids the toys which are popular with kids and which are marketed well.
These traditional Indian toys are not a brand name and hence not marketed as are other toys.
Hope you liked our this section and post. Do leave your feedback!
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