Revisit your childhood at the International Dolls Museum

The International Dolls Museum is a place that will never cease to bring out the child in you. Hundreds of dolls smile back at you at the museum inside Bal Bhavan in Sector 23 and if you have an instant urge to be playful, we won’t blame you!

The International Dolls Museum is a place that will never cease to bring out the child in you. Hundreds of dolls smile back at you at the museum inside Bal Bhavan in Sector 23 and if you have an instant urge to be playful, we won’t blame you!

Set up in 1985, the museum, home to more than 350 dolls from 28 countries, was the brainchild and initiative of Rotarian RK Saboo, who would bring back a doll from every country he visited for the children of Chandigarh.

Founded under the auspices of the Indian Council of Child Welfare, the first display generated a lot of excitement and the latest to join the beautiful group are two Arabian dolls — a gift to the museum from visitors who were floored by the collection.

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A small note on the place where the dolls came from, the flag of the respective countries and also some paintings initially accompanied the display… “These give us a glimpse into the lives of people of different countries, their costumes, across eras and ages,” Tejinder K Bajwa, the former in-charge of the place says as he takes you around the museum.

Dressed in traditional costumes, the dolls come from as far as Argentina, Austria, Belgium, France, Russia, USA, Germany, Finland and Israel. The museum was recently renovated and now wears a new look and feel, courtesy the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation Limited (CITCO).

An interesting section here is that of dolls representing fairy-tale characters like Aladdin, Ali Baba, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White… all designed and made by local artists and a set of four displays ‘tell’ a visual story.

“This one is a big attraction for children and we hope to have an area in the near future where children can play with dolls and feel more connected with the place and have fun as well. In fact, we would love to get some rare dolls from the people of the city,” says Tejinder while showing tableaux representing mythological and epic tales. These present scenes from the Mahabharata, Ramayana and stories from the lives of the Buddha, Eklavaya, Jhansi ki Rani, Sikh gurus and Christ. It is a great way to introduce children to history, mythology, culture.

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The museum also has a special section devoted to the dolls from various parts of India, with a special emphasis on the brides of the country. A must-check here is a toy train presented by the Rotary Club, Ebingen, West Germany and according to Tejinder, the museum’s a big hit with school children and foreign tourist and also has a guide for an engrossing tour. “And on popular demand by the children, we hope to add some Barbie dolls soon to the lovely group,” smiles Bajwa.

Yes, we have to move with the times!