From intricate board games and tiny glass animal figurines to simple games made by children, using bright-coloured streamers and whatever they can get hold of, the toys are mainly handmade. This produces a wonderful array of textures and effects.

Hand-crafted toys are more common and affordable in India and, with around 23 million craftspeople, craft plays an important role in the country’s economy.

The amount of work and skill which has clearly gone into making the toys - for example the sculpting and painting of tiny figures from everyday Indian life, each one different from the next - is staggering.

A collection of kites, from handkerchief-sized ones upwards, flutters above the exhibition. Many of them contain complex designs, which have to be cut out of the fabric then painstakingly replaced in a different colour.

Mirrorwork elephants were made by a woman so well-known for her craft that the Prince of Wales made a trip to her village to see her at work.

A wall hanging showing the life of village women carrying water, working in the fields, pregnant and even smoking pipes, is entirely hand-stitched.

Praising traditional Indian toys in particular, Sudarshan Khanna, from the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, said, "Every society has a great deal of practical and useful knowledge: this is often expressed most creatively and effectively through the tales and toys of that society."

These toys and games are certainly alive with stories and characters. I was particularly taken with the intricate and expressive prints depicting stories of Indian village life, some of which, amazingly, are done by children as young as eight.

Not just the techniques, but the individuality and emotiveness of these toys are missing from homogenised, mass-produced plastic versions. That said, there is an Indian Barbie.

Some older pieces from the museum’s permanent collection join the contemporary work. Elegant Victorian ladies and gents ride in painted wooden carriages, or on the back of horses and elephants.

But perhaps the best part of the exhibition is the case of simple but expressive rag dolls made from recycled materials by disabled street children. Dastkar, an organisation which helps rural craftspeople, supported much of the work on display.

At the end of the exhibition, on Sunday April 18, the museum will be holding a Dilli Haat Indian Festival day, with Indian music and dance, and demonstrations of traditional toy making techniques. Visitors should be able to get a real taste of the unique flavour of the New Delhi bazaar.