Classes 1 and 2 visit the Dolls' Museum, 30 and 31 August, 2012

6,500 dolls from over 85 countries, or so we'd heard; sounded formidable and almost impossible to believe. We became determined to check it out ourselves. So, we, teachers set out on a morning excursion on 2 consecutive days with classes 1 and 2. We were overwhelmed by what awaited us.The dolls themselves, from around the world are a visual delight and their expressive faces caught our hearts. They came made of every conceivable material: straw, cloth, wood, porcelain, plastic, even terracotta. We found peasants, skiers, baseball players, cowboys, musicians, chefs, priests, snake charmers, soldiers etc., etc.The Japan collection (one of the largest in the museum) has everything from kabuki dancers to samurais and tiny dolls embellished with semi-precious stones. The Jordan section includes whirling dervishes, while Thailand has characters from a Thai ballet. And there are the signature dolls: a Hungarian doll in Shankars collection besides dolls gifted to the museum by the Queen of Thailand, Queen Frederika of Greece and others. Theres an exclusive section on Indian dolls, arranged by the government state. The exhibits feature dolls as brides and grooms from different states, folk dancers from across India and tableaux of festivals, scenes from mythology, history, and so on. Our favourites? The flamenco dancers and matadors from Spain. The Spanish influence being a dominant one in Latin America, the theme this year at School. The flaxen-haired girls, skiers, polar bears and a long-nosed witch astride a broom from Norway; the dolls from Eastern EuropeRomania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, etc., have almost uniformly exquisite dresses, all painstakingly embroideredwhile the Irish dolls definitely displayed character! The dolls from West Bengal are also amazing: petite but with a personality: an arrogant constable; a submitting housewife. And yes, the Japanese and South Korean dolls, cherubic faces and gently flowing gowns; by far the most graceful. We travelled back to our girlhoods even as the children squealed in delight! Time stood still as the years flipped and it became for us teachers, yesterday once more! The children chattered furiously and we effortlessly combined to reminisce the treat on our buses as they rolled back towards School. As filed by Ms. Andrea Kandir, primary teacher.