THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Once, a hub of activity and noise, the Dolls Museum in the city, now wears a deserted look. The museum which houses a rare and vibrant collection of ethnic figurines in various shapes and sizes is currently under renovation and will soon be reopened to the children in the coming days. Tucked away on the first floor of the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare (KSCCW) at Thycaud, the museum has been captivating children in the city for decades.
The museum which was set up in 1980 has a collection of more than 3,000 dolls which are made of China clay, papier mache which consist of paper pieces or pulp, cloth, coir, wood, rubber, ceramics, mud and plastic. The dolls which are displayed in six rooms in the museum are very educative.
“The doll museum offers underprivileged children a chance to entertain themselves at affordable rates. Presently, the museum is undertaking re-electrification work. The museum will also add more dolls to its collection. The older dolls will be cleaned and restored to its original charm,” said Deepak S P, general secretary of Kerala State Council for Child Welfare.
The museum houses several one-inch to six-feet-tall dolls, decked up in traditional clothes representative of each Indian state. The aim is to educate children about cultural diversity.“ We have a collection of more than 3,000 dolls in the museum. Now, there is no activity as the renovation works have started but till recently, the museum was a beehive of activity with children from various schools visiting the place.
The entrance fee which is Rs 5 was very affordable for children from all strata of society,” said Deepak. Besides dolls, the museum also houses an impressive collection of stamps and ethnic masks.
The museum is also a favourite hub for foreigners who visit it to get a glimpse of the rare collection of dolls from different places.The museum also displays models of foreign dolls and cartoon characters. This is the second doll museum in the country after Shankar’s International Doll Museum in New Delhi.