Doll museum to be back on tourist map

Gudiya Ghar  (doll museum), situated in the heart of Jaipur city, is all set to reopen. It was once considered one of the famous tourist attractions in Jaipur. The newly renovated museum has dolls from different countries depicting their culture, expressions and dresses. The museum will be a centre of entertainment, exploration and knowledge for tourists, especially children. 

The first-ever institutionally designed international doll museum was set up by Sekhsaria Charitable Trust in 1974 and it was one of the star attractions till 1980s. It had a collection of around 700 dolls from 40 countries.

Call it lack of application or disinterest, efforts were not made to improve the museum and it disappeared from tourists’ list of must-visit places. Sekhsaria family had donated funds for setting up the museum. The renovated museum consists of dolls purchased from market and those donated by foreigners. The trust also has given its own collections.

A new wing named “Savita Ranjit Singh Bhandari” has been added and it displays over 600  dolls from different countries. The wing has been named after mother of S S Bhandari, a chartered accountant of Jaipur who signed a memorandum of understanding with the Rajasthan education department  in 2012 to restore the museum.

“We happened to visit the doll museum in 2011 and the condition there made us sad. Most of the dolls were covered with a thick layer of dust and some were broken. Then I floated an idea on behalf of the trust named after my parents to restore the museum and hand it over to the Rajasthan government,” Bhandari told DH. About Rs 39 lakh was spent on the renovation and the expenses were borne by the trust.

The museum has a variety of dolls and some of them would definitely attract visitors and make them spend more time in front of them. Famous Hina Matsuri and traditional dolls from Japan, dolls displaying rich culture and clothing of West Asia, Sweden, Switzerland, Afghanistan and Iran are sure to win the hearts of visitors. Indian heritage is also visible in dolls dressed in clothes of brides and grooms of different states, children at school and dances and festivities. 

Shardha Bhandari, who is a member of the trust and closely associated with the renovation, is hopeful that museum will again become  a landmark of Jaipur as some rich collection of dolls have been added. “It took us around 2 years to restore the existing doll collection and the construction of a new building. To ensure that we get authentic dolls from different countries we wrote to the embassies and sought their help. We were able to collect good ones. After embassies forwarded the request, people from those countries donated their collections,” she added.

Other attractions include heritage dolls and puppets.  A set of ornamental dolls, representing the emperor, empress, attendants and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period, have been  placed on a platform covered with a red carpet. The entire set of the dolls worth over Rs 10 lakh  has been donated by a Rotary Club in Japan. 

Kokeshi dolls, originally from northern Japan, also are a must-see. Handmade from wood, they have a simple trunk and an enlarged head with a few thin painted lines to define the face. The body has a floral design painted in red, black and sometimes yellow, and covered with a layer of wax. One characteristic of Kokeshi dolls is their lack of arms and legs.   

Dolls in the museum also depict the significance of certain rituals observed in some countries. In Japan Kodomo dolls are given to boys at 18 and girls at 16. Similarly in another section ancient Chinese decor doll “A Dream of Red Mansion” with eight dolls catches the attention of the visitors. The museum also interests children as it has a separate section on puppets such as Spiderman, Batman etc. 

Rashmi Sharma, a Jaipur-based art conservator who has restored the precious old collection of dolls with the help of her team, said, “Dolls were covered with dirt and dust, had tattered clothes and broken faces. To make them look like original dolls we had to work hard. We ensured that we didn’t  change the colours and expressions. All the torn clothes and broken faces have been changed with such precision that one cannot distinguish between a new one and the old doll.” For restoration, putty, wood, earthen material, cloth and porcelain were used.

The museum has a central cooling system and dolls are placed in wooden showcases to protect dolls from dirt and dust. Also, the museum has a presentation which runs on the loop for tourists, explaining the making of famous dolls around  the world. 

Artist and poet Amit Kalla narrates, “In India there are a few doll museums and Nehru Museum in Delhi is the largest. There is a need for such places to spread information about different cultures through symbolic dolls. It is important for art researchers also as they can see so many cultures under one roof.”

The museum is located inside Seth Anandi Lal Poddar school of Deaf and Dumb at Trimurty Circle. The income generated from the museum will go towards the welfare of  dumb and deaf school.

 The museum will be inaugurated by Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje by the end of July and the tickets are priced at Rs 5 for children, Rs 10 for adults and Rs 50 for foreigners.