Dolls, Toys and More
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Dolls, Toys and More was launched today (April 28, 2012). Prof. Dr. Norbert Pintsch, Senior Expert DGFK, Germany presented a copy of Dolls Toys and More to Dr. Azam Chaudhry, the Dean, Lahore School of Economics. Dr. Norbert also apprised Dr. Azam Chaudhry of what has been happening in the village Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka – commonly called Dolls Village - over last two decades.
Dolls, Toys and More is a story of two decades of work by NGO in a village called Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka – some 80 kilometres from Lahore and on the bank of River Ravi. How change has come in the village?
Countless volunteers from Germany, Pakistan and also from other parts of the world have worked in the Village Project. The book gives an overview of the Project in detail as well as the description of local travel attractions. The travelogues section describes all places of interest in and around the areas, which will form a broader and touristy impression about the location to the reader as well as the interested tourists.
The life in the village is definitely interesting from the point of view of any urban visitor, but this topic may be discussed separately. An idea can be obtained however by reading the three short stories included in the book. The books also points out to the concept of Mud Housing and the Appropriate Technology and how they are being developed and used in the village.
What was conceived and founded by Dr Senta Siller has surely come of age. The book would not have been possible without the input and huge amount of work by Dr Norbert Pintsch, Dr Senta Siller and many others.
Dolls The book ISBN 978-969-0-02411-7 is available at Ferozsons Pakistan and other leading book stores.
Dolls, Toys and More is a story of two decades of work by NGO in a village called Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka – some 80 kilometres from Lahore and on the bank of River Ravi. How change has come in the village?
Countless volunteers from Germany, Pakistan and also from other parts of the world have worked in the Village Project. The book gives an overview of the Project in detail as well as the description of local travel attractions. The travelogues section describes all places of interest in and around the areas, which will form a broader and touristy impression about the location to the reader as well as the interested tourists.
The life in the village is definitely interesting from the point of view of any urban visitor, but this topic may be discussed separately. An idea can be obtained however by reading the three short stories included in the book. The books also points out to the concept of Mud Housing and the Appropriate Technology and how they are being developed and used in the village.
What was conceived and founded by Dr Senta Siller has surely come of age. The book would not have been possible without the input and huge amount of work by Dr Norbert Pintsch, Dr Senta Siller and many others.
Dolls The book ISBN 978-969-0-02411-7 is available at Ferozsons Pakistan and other leading book stores.
Labels: Books, Dolls, Dolls Toys and More, Handicrafts
posted @ 12:43 AM,
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Dr. Senta Siller on the NGO Stall
Saturday, April 28, 2012
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Labels: Dr. Senta Siller
posted @ 6:31 AM,
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Local Kiln
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Clay and clay products are some of the oldest human started making and using at the dawn of civilization. Clay products are still sought after. Now people make things with clay using new techniques and equipment like pottery wheel clay. Explore Thatta Kedona Blog and you will see ceramic colors galore and clay pottery art that is pursued here at Women Art Center since the start of the project. Monika Kuppler is one of the veteran volunteers associated with development of clay products at Women Arts Center.
Read more »Labels: Monika Kuppler, Pottery
posted @ 9:33 AM,
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Dolls of the World - Pakistan
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Labels: Dolls of the World, Pakistan
posted @ 9:25 AM,
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BBC Journalist in the village TGD
Arjuman has over six years association with the Project Thatta Kedona and NGO work in the village TGD. Arjuman has been regularly visiting TGD and reporting about NGO work and developments there in BBC Urdu broadcast. She had also visited and interviewed Dr. Senta Siller - the founder of the project - in the Pakistan House of that time in Potsdam and later in the Brandenburg Project in Gross-Behnitz.
On Mar 22, 2012, once again Arjuman was in the village and was overjoyed to see the 20 years development work of the NGO. During her visit to the village, Arjuman also met Monika Kuppler - an old acquaintance and volunteer, Stephanie Walter - the new volunteer of the Education Program who are in the village for the spring.
Labels: Visitors, Volunteers
posted @ 8:24 AM,
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Thatta Kedona at Pakistan Cultural Mela 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Thatta Kedona participated in a three-day Pakistan Cultural Mela was organized at the Alhamra Cultural Complex Qaddafi Stadium on April 20-21, 2012. More than 80 handicraft stalls including Thatta Kedona were displayed in the cultural festival. Here are some of the impressions from the event.
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Labels: Thatta Kedona
posted @ 12:28 PM,
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Pakistan House Potsdam Moves On
Saturday, April 21, 2012
After almost ten years of honorary work in the Pakistan House Potsdam, this phase is now coming to an end. The Pakistan House Potsdam was a starting point for foreign project workers, guests and visitors as well as for volunteers and the interested public. The active and non-selfish initiation and support of real self-help projects, support for income generating measures for the rural population, specially women, based upon the traditional culture were not beautiful words but reality; The support for the implementation of environment-friendly techniques in the rural areas was carried out through on-site lectures, in the NGO’s and educational institutions, through experimental workshops and product manufacturing and local sales. The idea, to operate independent of the central technical infra-structure (electricity), was demonstrated in practice and shown, that not only lighting, but also other usages, like charging a cell-phone battery etc. are possible. By activating volunteers outside of the project and generating interest of foreigners in the project countries, a sort of “soft” tourism was created. The PHP provided valuable help in the realization of such ideas.
The closure of Pakistan House Potsdam, the existence of which could only be successful through volunteers, does not mean an end to the work, but a further development, because the basis has been created, the people in the NGO’s have been trained and they are operating more or less rather independently since quite a long time.
Labels: Dr. Norbert Pintsch, Dr. Senta Siller, Pakistan House Potsdam
posted @ 11:01 AM,
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Round the World
Friday, April 20, 2012
posted @ 2:00 PM,
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NGO Children Education Programs in TGD
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Since its inception, Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka NGO (Anjuman-e-Falah-e-Aama) is striving to develop and educate the village children along with its other work with women (in Women Art Centre) and with Men ( in Technology Transfer and Training Centre) as well as in the village basic health unit.
Annual distribution of free books, reduction of health risks through the possibility of using the clean water well, the population planning program One Baby, One Tree and sensitizing the young minds about natural resources and environment are some of the NGO’s ongoing programs. Notably, as part of the environment program, the children of the village collected plastic that is sold to a recycling firm in Lahore.
On March 24, 2012, the NGO organized a big event for the village school children. The event was also attended students from another school from nearby town and district headquarter Okara. In addition to playing sports and mixing up, Farooq Ahmed from TTTC explained environmental and resource protection to the children. Stephanie Walter, the volunteer of the Anjuman-e-Falah-e-Aama who is in the village these days also helped in this regard. The event was supported by the Lahore based Foundation for the Promotion of Academic Collaboration, which has already been supporting the distribution of free books to the village children in the past. Readers here already know that similar event was cooperation from Peerzada Cultural Complex Lahore where they had special puppet show.
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posted @ 11:37 AM,
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Heavenly Mud
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Dr. Gus Van Beek, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, is completing a book on Old World mud architecture, examining methods of construction and varieties of designs in contemporary as well as ancient structures. The work will cover major types of construction in Morocco, Egypt, Yemen, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and India, resulting from research on arch and vault construction which Dr. Van Beek started in 1971 as the result of examples he uncovered at Tel Jemmeh, Israel. Contact: Dr. Gus Van Beek, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History.
Related: Heavenly Mud
Labels: Mud Architecture
posted @ 10:19 AM,
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Distribution of books in TGD 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Since the start of the project, NGG AFA distribute gives free books to the students of two government schools in Thatta Kedona Ghulamka Dheroka - the Dolls and Toy Village to promote education in rural community. Issue of books and educational material is part of long running education program of the village NGO. Dr. Norbert Pintsch, the Senior Research Fellow of the FPAC organizes the books distribution ceremony every year.
This year FPAC and DGFK distribute the books and school material for the new students in the village schools. Aamir Rafique , the General Secretary of the foundation in collaboration with the DGFK gave away the school education material.
In boys school books were given by Ilyas of AFA and Johannes (Computer Scientist from Free University Berlin – a DGFK guest in the village. Whereas in girls school, the books were distributed by Farooq Ahmed from AFA and Franziska - Biologist from Humboldt University Berlin – a DGFK-guest.
Both the guests from Germany (Johannes, Franziska) said, "It was very interesting to get the opportunity to see village TGD and the traditional life of the Punjab people. The children seemed to be very excited about our small happening on Education-Project. We hope that the whole project can move on a long time, and maybe we will see Thatta Ghulamaka Dhiroka one day again."
Related: Distribution of books in TGD 2011, Distribution of books in TGD 2010
Labels: Education, Thatta Kedona
posted @ 9:45 AM,
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Thatta Kedona at Lok Mela in Lok Virsa, Islamabad
Thursday, April 12, 2012
After a long time and a number of delays due to security reasons, finally an event for handicrafts workers was held by Lok Virsa - the ethnological museum of Pakistan, in Islamabad. Khalid Javaid, the Director General Lok Versa once again succeeded in collecting the best handicraft workers from all over the country in Islamabad. Thatta Kedona – the project initiated by Dr. Senta Siller - of the AFA from the village Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka participated in the event.
Dolls dressed in the traditional dresses of different provinces and minorities by Women Art Center, the sheet metal toys of the TTTC Men Center well as special pottery products of the Women Ceramics Group supervised since years by Monika Kuppler were appreciated by large number of people.
Khalid Javaid has a long association with Thatta Kedona Project. He has also written foreword of the the book "Dolls Toys and More" by S.A.J. Shirazi that is being published this year. Here are some impressions from Lok Mela.
Labels: Thatta Kedona
posted @ 11:52 AM,
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TGD Ceramics Group in Multan
Thursday, April 5, 2012
A lot of work is being done on pottery development in TGD Women Art Center; new facilities, new designs and new products. Thanks to the ceramics passion of our veteran volunteer from Germany Monika Kuppler who has makes new innovation possible every time when she is in the Toy Village. Readers here know that Monika Kuppler is again in the Village for spring and she is doing a lot in the field of ceramics. Thatta Kedona readers also know that Women Art Center has installed a new local kiln for pottery firing and blazing.
On March 25, 2012, AFA – the village NGO - arranged a visit of Women Art Center Ceramics Group to Multan (city of saints famous for blue pottery, Kashi work and antiquity. Ceramics Group of Women Art Center spent a useful day in Multan visiting large ceramic workshops and handicraft centers in addition to site seeing in the historic city. Here are some of the images of the trip to Multan.
Labels: Monika Kuppler, Pottery
posted @ 3:25 PM,
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Appropriate Technology Solutions Exhibition
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
In the face of energy shortage, particularly in the rural areas of Pakistan, Appropriate Technology is the obvious solution and people are turning to appropriate technology solutions. Best thing is that appropriate technology solutions are not only affordable and available but they are guaranteed anywhere.
Read more »Labels: Appropriate Technology, Dr. Norbert Pintsch
posted @ 11:59 AM,
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What I can learn from girls
Stephanie Walter
My stay in Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka – the Dolls Village - and close interaction with school girls there was a great experience; totally unforgettable. On my last day in the village girls school (a Friday), we started school at 8 Am and finished already at 12 AM. I notice that many of the girl students bring their little sisters and brothers with them.
On a Fridays the school seems more than a kindergarten than a school. But I note that the girls also concentrate on work like on other days. It amazed me how these little girls manage this. Interestingly, if a little sister or brother goes to the table of another others girl, she likes it as natural. I never saw that any little girl or boy getting lost. This was a perfect example of their social behavior. What is more, when one of them starts to cry and the sister does not see it, one of the other girls will look after and attend to the young one.
Girl students share their school stuff like rubbers, pencil, sharpeners and colored pencils with each other.
Labels: Education, Volunteers
posted @ 11:27 AM,
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Thatta Kedona Pottery and Ceramic Workshop
Monika Kuppler conducted Pottery and Ceramic Workshop in Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka.
posted @ 11:05 AM,
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My name is 'yellow ball'
Monday, April 2, 2012
Stephanie Walter
As a part of TGD NGO education Program, I am teaching basic English lessons, numbers and a bit of math. In addition we practice together some of the most important phrases and sentences like “What is your name?" with the adequate answer "My name is Najma, Sakina (whatever is the name of the student). How old are you?" "I am (the age) years old!"
After the lessons, we also play together. The play reduces the strain and also helps learn. The favorite game is playing with the balls of different colors. We have a red, blue and yellow ball. One of the girls throws the balls in the ground and starts to say please, give me the red ball, please give me the blue ball, please give me the yellow ball. And sometime I get to hear so funny sentences like "My name is yellow ball."
I see the girls are very quick at the uptake. They learn fast. But sadly, they have no exposure to English language whatsoever. I wish they could have some English teacher and I can see they would have done wonders.
Labels: Education
posted @ 9:58 AM,
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Contact
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Labels: Contact
posted @ 6:08 AM,
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