Thatta Kedona Dolls and Toys in Islamabad Bazaar
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Thatta Kedona Dolls and Toys @ Bazaar on April 1, 2012 in Islamabad
Labels: Dolls, Thatta Kedona, Tin Toys
posted @ 9:24 AM,
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Dolls, Toys and More by S A J Shirazi
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Labels: Books, Publications, Thatta Kedona
posted @ 2:02 PM,
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One Baby One Tree
One Baby One Tree is one of the oldest traditions of Anjuman-e-Falah-e-Aama - the village NGO. A flower or fruit tree is presented on the birth of a baby in the family. As a result of this simple tradition, every home in the village now has a fruit and flower trees.
The in-charge of the Basic Health Unit keeps an exact record of all babies born in the village and gives the information to the head of the NGO, who then arranges saplings from the nursery to be used in the annual event called One Baby One Tree that is held in the village each year in the BHU.
Dr. Senta Siller – the founder of the project – had conceived and initiated two programs for increasing greenery in the village homes: one for the members of the Women Art Center and the other for the BHU Baby program. In this way, a very special type of vegetation has developed in the village houses. This year also, the program could be implemented with donations and help from volunteers.
Labels: BHU, One Baby One Tree
posted @ 8:59 AM,
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Stephanie Walter in TGD School
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Stephanie Walter
I have been in Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka – a small village in the backwater of Punjab - for almost a month. How time flies! I’ve seen some wonderful attachments of young students with me.’ Teaching English to young children from a rural background is no picnic. But the best thing is that I already have overcome communication barriers.
In my last article I wrote about my colorful magnetic letters and numbers which we put on the doors. Every time one of the girls or I lose one of them as they fall on the ground the girls scream "Oh, No". I say "no problem." Also "no Urdu", respectively "no English" are often used sentences in the School.
I enjoy when young girls try to explain me something in Urdu. They can't believe that I understand only few words in Urdu. So I say only "no Urdu, no English" and the answer is "no English, no English. But we perfectly communicate and go along very well.
Every day morning, on my way to the School the girls meet and greet me not only with "Good Morning" but also with "no problem, no problem" or "no English, no English". I am greeting with Good Morning at 2 PM or even at 8 PM but I enjoy that. Soon I will teach them greeting for the afternoon and evening.
Best thing is that the young students enjoy learning and as much as I enjoy teaching. In the process, they are exposed to English words and phrases and I to Urdu. The process goes on.
Labels: Education, Volunteers
posted @ 9:08 AM,
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Mud House Owners Annual Quality of Life Competition
Monday, March 26, 2012
Readers here are aware of Mud House Owners competition - annual AFA tradition when owners compete for the best mud house, details and designs. Everyone take part and prepare before the competition. Result: the entire TGD wears a spanking new look. Here are some of the before the competition:
Read more »
Labels: Dr. Norbert Pintsch, Mud Housing Project, Thatta Kedona Impressions
posted @ 10:21 AM,
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Pottery Development with Monika Kuppler
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Group members from Women Art Centre of AFA (NGO of TGD) for pottery with Monika developing new design products:
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Labels: Monika Kuppler, Pottery
posted @ 8:33 AM,
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Thatta Kedona Education Program
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Pakistani NGO Anjuman-e-Falah-e-Aama with the help of foreign volunteers is engaged actively since over 20 years in implementing the project initiated by its founder, Dr. Senta Siller, who still supports the NGO through other projects with still more volunteers.
Read more »Labels: Education, Thatta Kedona
posted @ 9:58 AM,
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Research work with Thatta Kedona
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Prof. Gwendolyn Kulick, the Assistant Professor in Beaconhouse National University (BNU), School of Visual Arts and Design, has a long association with the Project. In addition to being in Pakistan House Potsdam, Germany in 2003, she has visited TGD with BNU students many times. She is doing her PhD in ‘Design Work in NGOs and Income Generation.’ Her research work brings her to TGD.
(Farooq Ahmed, Secretary General Anjuman-e-Falah-e-Aama), Prof. Dr. Brigitte Wolf and Prof. Gwendolyn Kulick)
On Mar 17, 2011, Gwendolyn Kulick was in the Dolls Village with her research supervisor (academic mother) Prof. Dr. Brigitte Wolf (Theory of Design, Department for Design and Art, University of Wuppertal, Germany) who is in Pakistan on the invitation of Annemarie-Schimmel-House (ASchH) in Lahore.
Both the special guests spent fill day visiting different workshops of doll making, pottery and toy making in the Women Art Centre and Technology- Transfer- and Training Centre as well as saw the work in Basic Health Unit. Guests also took keen interests in repair work for Mud House Owners Project (owners repair their mud house after summer and winter monsoon ahead of the annual quality of life competition – an effort to keep traditional farmhouses as a sample). These mud houses are also fouc of stuy for Institute for Experimental Construction at BNU and attractive for visitor and tourists.
Read more »Labels: Research, Thatta Kedona, Women Art Center
posted @ 1:07 PM,
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Spring and Volunteers come to Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka Together
Friday, March 16, 2012
Mustard fields are blooming in Thatta Ghulaka Dheroka when Monika Kuppler – a veteran volunteer coming to TGD for the seventh time - and Stephanie Walter (ethnologist) have arrived in Thatta Ghulaka Dheroka; the Dolls' Village (on Mar 2, 2012). Monika Kuppler will work for pottery and product development in the Women Art Centre of AFA (NGO) in Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka. Given the critical shortage of electric power in rural areas, local kiln is already being installed (image below) for pottery. Stephanie Walter will remain busy in local school working with students giving them English and art lessons (Stephanie is an artists and art teacher also).
Prof. Dr. Norbert Pintech is also here for spring and like always he has so many good plans to take the project to the next level. Located in Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka and Lahore, Dr. Norbert Pintsch will focus on appropriate technology, mud housing and installation and operations of the internet radio. The book titled Dolls, Toys and More by S A J Shirazi will also appear this spring.
Labels: Education, Volunteers
posted @ 11:00 AM,
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My first impression of Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Stephanie Walter
The plain of Punjab seems endless and from a distance village TGD looks like a little toy village made of clay bricks. As I enter the village I feel the pulse of life there; vibrant and lively. There is no hurry there. People live in peace and are happy at a slow pace. I could also see solar energy panels mounted on the building of Woman Art Center. I am here in TGD to be with kids in the schools. On my way to school on the first day I am latterly surrounded (and escorted) by girls. As I enter the school for the first time, set of big, brown eyes look at me with curiosity and joy. I find the little school girls happy to find me among them. Their joy says welcome to me.
And so I am glad to teach English lessons and a bit of basic math to girls. I had brought magnetic letters and number from Germany and they are not only amazing for young girls but also a great help in teaching. The girls really love them.
As the school blackboards are not magnetic so we converted doors in to into blackboards. While I teach, I wonder how much potential these students have. They are so keen on learning. It is a sheer pleasure to be with such students. And the pleasure of being with little girls makes me forget my urban life.
Labels: Education, Volunteers
posted @ 11:49 AM,
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Dolls, Toys and More
Pre press discussion with S A J Shirazi, the writer and publisher of Dolls, Toys and More
How have the topics been selected?
Dolls, Toys and More is a story of two decades of work by NGO in a village called Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka. How change has come in the village?
Large number of volunteers have worked in the project since its inception. It would have been less interesting for the readers, if we were only to describe project in detail as they would know less about the location, the background and the history of the local toys in the Punjab. The life in the village is definitely interesting from the point of view of literature, but this topic may be discussed separately. An idea can be obtained however by reading the three short stories taken over by me and written by Ulrike Vestring. It would also be inappropriate to discuss and describe at this point the concept of Mud Housing and the Appropriate Technology, both of which can be discussed separately.
Read more »Dowload (pdf) from the link at top right
Large number of volunteers have worked in the project since its inception. It would have been less interesting for the readers, if we were only to describe project in detail as they would know less about the location, the background and the history of the local toys in the Punjab. The life in the village is definitely interesting from the point of view of literature, but this topic may be discussed separately. An idea can be obtained however by reading the three short stories taken over by me and written by Ulrike Vestring. It would also be inappropriate to discuss and describe at this point the concept of Mud Housing and the Appropriate Technology, both of which can be discussed separately.
Labels: Dolls Toys and More, Publications, Thatta Kedona
posted @ 11:42 AM,
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Thatta Kedona Welcome Stephanie Walter
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Stephanie Walter has master degree in Social Studies and Anthropology. She is in Pakistan for the first time. During her stay in Pakistan village, Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka (known as called Dolls Village), she is active in the government girls school for teaching English and playing with them. Volunteers are a very helpful and welcome exposure for the students (also for people) to outside world. Lot of foreign experts and volenteers have been to the village over the past two decades. They bring along their own experience and expertise and everyone of them makes a different. You are welcome Stephanie Walter.
Labels: Volunteers
posted @ 3:46 PM,
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Happy Woman's Day
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Labels: Dolls of the World
posted @ 10:10 AM,
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Jashn-e-Baharan
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Labels: Basant, Jashn-e-Baharan
posted @ 11:44 AM,
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Dolls, Toys and More
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Related: Thatta Kedona volunteers, Thatta Kedona Dolls, Thatta Kedona Toys, Thatta Kedona Images, Dr. Norbert Pintsch, Dr. Senta Siller, Sale Points
Labels: Books, Thatta Kedona
posted @ 2:53 PM,
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