Indira Gandhi National Manav Sangrahalaya under various routine programmes and activities for the protection and revitalisation of tribal arts and culture had organised workshop on Paper-Mache Doll making of Manipur, under the ‘Do & learn’ series of the museum educational programme. In the eight days long workshop 49 registered members learnt to make many Dolls of Manipur under guidance of O Neelkamal and TH Tulachandra Singh.
On Sunday, the last of workshop, Prof Sarit Kumar Chaudhuri (Director, IGRMS) saw the dolls made by workshop participants, he gave certificates to all participants. On this occasion, Prof Chaudhuri informed that IGRMS is planning to have such art and craft making workshop more frequently with longer duration so that participants can learn value of Indian tradition with enriching experience of skill development by engaging with master craftsmen.
Speaking on the last day, TH Tulachandra Singh said that dolls for worship and as playthings for children, have a continuous history in Manipur from the earliest times. The life of people in all its varied aspects began to focus in dolls which try to catch ‘expressions’ of human faces.
Human figure res with their hair dressed in varied folds, jewellery in artistic details, armour and uniform equipment of all kinds have preserved the cultural history of the people.