Museum.
What are the images that flash through the chambers of your mind, when you hear the word?
Sculptures, manuscripts, antique jewellery and utensils? Or maybe the belongings of this Maharaja or that Maharani.
Well, a visit to the International Dolls Museum in Sector 23 of Chandigarh may shatter all your pre-assumptions, all at once!
I recently visited, and here are my takeaways.
Some Facts:
- The museum was established in the Bal Bhawan building in Sector 23, in the year 1985.
- It was a collaborative initiative by the Chandigarh Administration and the Rotaract Club of Chandigarh, initially deemed to be a playing and entertainment zone for the kids.
- It went on to become a celebrated museum of international stature, with tourist from all over the world in its visitors’ book.
The sad fact is that many Chandigarhians are not even aware of the existence of this marvel, leave alone having visited it.
Nevertheless, let us help you discover what you have missed so far if you haven’t paid a visit to this place.
Want a reason to go and visit the unique museum?
I shall give you 5!
1. Kids are going to love it! Bet?
Kids love toys, especially dolls.
They go crazy over one doll, guess what’s going to happen when they see hundreds at one place, and all different!
Blast happiness!!
Take your kids to this dolls’ museum once, and they are going to love you for the rest of life, or at least till they grow big!
2. Adults will be mesmerised!
Secretly, adults also admire dolls! They admit or not, but they do!
After all, there’s a kid deep inside all of us, who needs to be cherished and celebrated at times.
This amazingly conceptualized museum of dolls is certainly going to take you on a ride down the memory lane, into the better days when you used to have little figures as your dearest possessions.
3. Learn About the Culture of States
India has such a varied culture, that you can never have enough of it. Same reflects at this museum as well.
Each one of the dolls at the museum is draped in the traditional attire and accessories of the state and culture it is representing. There are dolls from the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Assam, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and more. Moreover, a plaque giving a brief overview of the history and culture of that state also accompanies each set of dolls.
Moreover, there are dedicated segments like ‘brides of India’ & the ‘dances of India’.
Are they trying to educate us? Well, seems so!
4. ‘International’ is not for namesake!
When it comes to diversity, the collection of dolls at the museum is truly international. Dolls from all over the world have been brought here and displayed donning the national dress of the country they belong to. The countries represented at the museum include Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Russia and Korea etc. What can be a better way to know about the culture and tradition of so many countries, than to see beautiful dolls representing it?
5. A toy train, Fairy tails and more..!
The museum also has at display an incredible model of a toy train. The popular fairy tails of Aladdin and his Magic Lamp, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Ali Baba and Forty Thieves and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – all of these have been depicted in magnificent ways, in separate segments of the museum. To add to the visual delight is a huge model of a German railway station.
What more does a museum have to be, to deserve a visit from you? Go visit the International Dolls Museum this weekend. Don’t forget to take along the kids!
It’s okay. Thank us later!
