A peek inside the doll village of Punjab

Puppets, dolls and various types of toys were on display.

LAHORE: An exhibition of photographs taken in 1994 by Renate Borowka from Germany in Okara district’s village of Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka (dolls village) was held at Alhamra Arts Gallery on Friday.

The one-day exhibition titled ‘Impressions of a Dolls Village in Punjab’ also showcased puppets, dolls and various toys made by Anjumane Falahe Amma – an NGO established by another German social worker and an academic, Dr Senta Siller, along with her Husband Norbert Pintsch in 1992.

The couple visited Dhiroka village for the first time in 1990s on the invitation of Amjad Ali, who was born in the village and was working with the Deutsche Welle news agency after studying in Germany.



Amjad, who now lives in Berlin, told The Express Tribune the exhibition was held primarily to honour great German women, who have in their own ways selflessly contributed so much to improve the situation of women in a remote village of the Punjab.

Amjad said Senta was astonished to see the beautiful embroidery, different types of rag dolls, variety of colourful handicrafts and the stitching capabilities of the village women when she first visited the village.

“She was surprised to know that they were not able to earn any money from their skills. At that moment she started to think how she could help women of the village earn some money through making dolls and different types of handmade toys,” said Amjad.



He added that since Senta was an artist and designer by profession, she helped the village women to improve the design, shape and colour of their products. In an attempt to promote the village as the Village of Dolls, Senta (now known as mother of dolls due to her efforts) established a development project called ‘Thatta Kedona’ and started the Women Art Centre (WAC) in the village, training women in making the best Pakistani dolls.

“During those early years, Senta stayed in the village for a very long period, sometimes the whole year. Even during the hot summer, she devoted her time to teach girls different skills and crafts. In total, she stayed for about five years in this remote village of Punjab,” Amjad said.

He added that for her work in the country, Senta has been awarded Bundesverdienstkreuz (highest civil order of merit of Germany) and many other honours from different countries for her services to uplift and empower the Pakistani women.

In order to honour Senta and her commitment and devotion for the village, the name of Women Art Centre was also changed to Senta Siller Art Centre in October 2016.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2017.