Thatta Kedona

Culture is a Basic Need

Young Scholars From Punjab University with Volunteers at Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:21 AM, ,

Where is Dr. Senta Siller

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Dr. Senta Siller is now working in this serene environment!


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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:30 AM, ,

Handicraft Workshops 1993-2010

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:30 AM, ,

Thatta Kedona visitors and volunteers

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:37 AM, ,

Housing, Development, Culture and Infrastructure

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by Norbert Pintsch, Ghayyor Obaid & Njini Victor Nkuh,
Institute for Planning + Consulting (IPC)

Housing and Development

The term "Housing" has already been discussed by us under different aspects. Looking at the developments and applications in the various regions, we realize that the housing solutions in the Open-System are similar, irrespective of whether we are looking at the new constructions after the Tsunami-catastrophe or the colonies for leprosy patients in Grasland, Cameroon.

Of course a lot of intelligent and interesting studies were carried out in the colonial period, which documented the most important aspects for consideration in the post-colonial period, an opportunity which was not taken or utilized. The reasons for this ignorance lie probably in the growth-oriented strategies and the blind euphoria about industrialization. This mistake later resulted in horrendous consequences. The situation is actually only comparable with the birth-control programs in the western nations. The western countries can hardly propogate a policy which led to stronger automobile sales while causing lower birth rates.

The current housing solutions are still based upon requirements of working parents with about two children and possibilities of living and sleeping as well as cooking and cleaning, while considering large spaces for using household appliances. This in times when productive work places are fast dissappearing due to higher machine efficiency. This development was followed in the urban areas through centralization of shopping centres. This development again was followed by many other growth oriented programmes. The infra-structure costs therefore became very high. Measures to finance the rising costs were taken by assuming that the rubnning costs would be financed through appropriate increase in the the taxation income.
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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:00 AM, ,

Thank you Quiad-e-Azam

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 6:55 PM, ,

Deutsch-Pakistanisches Forum, Berlin

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Seit der Gründung des Deutsch-Pakistanischen Forums im Jahr 1960, wurden im Rahmen der "Gelben Reihe" in unregelmaessigen Abstaenden 11 Baende zu unterschiedlichen Themen veröffentlicht, die aber gegenwaertig nicht digital vorliegen. Die Sonderschrift mit Grussworten anlaesslich des 50. Jahrestages der Gruendung der Islamischen Republik Pakistans liegt digital vor. Nur wenige Druckexemplare sind noch vorhanden. Bei Bedarf wenden Sie sich an das DPF.

Anlässlich des 60. Jahrestages der Gründung der Islamischen Republik Pakistans hat das Deutsch-Pakistanische Forum jeweils einen weiteren Band, mit Grussworten des Bundesaussenministers, des Botschafter Pakistans in Deutschland und des deutschen Botschafter in Pakistan, sowie des Präsidenten des Deutsch-Pakistanischen Forums. Die digitale Version des Buches wurde geringfuegig ueberarbietet. Bei Interesse an einem Druckexemplar wenden Sie sich an das DPF.
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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:43 AM, ,

Thatta Kedona Agriculture, Construction and Water Projects

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:40 AM, ,

Dr. Norbert Pintsch Online

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Search Dr. Norbert Pintsch and it will show over 3,150 results. They are all pointing to different activities, some time unrelated to each other. One wonders what Dr. Norbert Pintsch is upto. We took a chance to ask him about some aspects of his work and life. Here are excerpts from the interview.
 

Question: Hello Dr. Norbert Pintsch, you have a very strong presence on the Internet. You are very visible on the Web through your activities in different fields - films, articles, construction projects, interviews, illustrations, exhibitions, sounds, lectures and much more. Internet scouting and some research about you shows a lot on you and your work. As the Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen once wrote regarding a request for an interview, don’t have time, am very busy and can also not give a lecture. May we ask you a few questions?
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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:00 AM, ,

Quality of Life

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Best mud hut in Thatta Ghulamka Dgeroka
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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:58 AM, ,

TTTC New Products

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:00 AM, ,

Message from the Mother of the Dolls

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Dear Friends!

I started in 1993 to make handicraft dolls in the village of TGD together with the village girls. The effort was based upon available resources and a respect for the local tradition. Especially the hand-made dolls representing the dresses of the different provinces and minorities became very popular.

Only scarce information was available at that time about these groups and their dresses and obtaining the relevant materials was also a problem. Detailed field studies were needed to obtain and organize the required information, which was quite expensive.
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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:30 AM, ,

Pottery Workshop with Monika Kuppler

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See the pottery samples here.

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:00 AM, ,

Urbanization

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“Future lies in rural areas,” Dr. Norbert Pintsch


Human beings like other organisms, have always polluted their environment with the byproducts of their action. As an organism man creates waste. As a social creature, he removes things from his environment and adds residue to it. So long as population density has been low on the planet, the environment was able to accommodate these alterations. Now with the world population about 8.5 billion people and increasing by 220,000 each day, the concentration of population in cities and resulting deterioration of environment is sounding alarms. The situation is urban Pakistan is worst.

The process of economic development over last 58 years has brought number of changes. One of the most critical dimensions of the process is urbanization of rural society. As the development has taken place primarily from agricultural to industrial economy, large scale rural to urban migration has taken place, changing the face of our cities as well as villages. The concentration of more and more people into urban areas is regarded as one of the major environmental threat today. The process is expected to escalate in Pakistan though many of our cities have already reached the point where further population concentration (by natural birth or migration) may jeopardize the delivery of basic civic services to all.
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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10:40 AM, ,

Skin Painting

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Art seems to have been important to almost all human societies since before recorded history. Art expressions have been, and still are, used to record, to explain, to interpret, to predict, to gain awareness, and to express those things cultures find important,” wrote by Turner Rogers, an associate professor of art education at the University of South Alabama.
This assertion is truer in case of Pakistan where some of the medieval arts have originated, and have not only been preserved but are practiced till date. The history of Pakistani arts and crafts – Kashi work, painting of skin, woodworks and painting on wood items -- goes back to medieval period.
Among the various arts that are practiced in Pakistan, skin painting has attained a higher state of refinement and Pakistan is famous this art around the world. The use of foliage or branches and leaves of trees and superb richness of colours (mainly blue) in skin painting is an evidence of Persian influence. As Persian arts themselves have been under Chinese Mongol influence, therefore some historians are of the view that skin painting had originally come from Kashghar China. Over a period of centuries Pakistani work has matured and developed a unique and distinctive style of its own. The finest quality work is done on the camel skin in southern Punjab (Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan) and several products are exported.
The tedious technique of shaping the camel skin crafts and decorating them with indegenously prepared lacquer colours is an age old tradition that has withstood the test of time. This is a part of our ancient cultural heritage and needs to be preserved. Not only that, there is always a room to bring into the art new innovations, endow it with fresh spirit and set the science as its guide. The range of possibilities in the field of ceramics is very vast. The whole world is there to appreciate the work.

How to preserve the craft for our next generations?

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:30 AM, ,

Appropriate Technology

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The 17 year old volunteer Zephanja Arzt from Berlin district was involved in the NGO project of the AFA in TGD for four months. He developed in this period together with the young men in the Men's Center a model locomotive for a german NGO as well as a glider for the local market.

Last Autumn, he and Head of the TTTC, Mr. Farooq Ahmad, as well as PDP were invited to a workshop about Appropriate Technology by COMSATS in Abbottabad. Because the Men's Center produces not only handicrafts, which are supplied to the Women's Center, but it also develops solutions for the use of sun, wind and water in the rural area. A solar cooker and Icefix were introduced in autumn. In the meanwhile, a prototype of a windmill (see illustration) which uses the local wind energy to charge a battery, which is then used to operate an energy saver bulb as well as a radio.
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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:00 AM, ,

Traditional culture

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The most important factors for the current development were laid in the 19th century. The rejection of thinking and acting as a community meant for the technology an enormous increase in the industrial production because the division of work led to higher productivity and new professions and it appeared on the face of it to increase the standard of living in western cultures (for example the Taylorism as introduced in Ford automobile factories etc.)

Analysis of the society by political and economic thinkers led to development theories, which could not foresee the effects of these policies as evidenced today. The cardinal error by these theorists was the euro-centristic model, i.e. nobody took the happenings in other cultures into consideration.
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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:24 AM, ,

Rural Heritage

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Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka - The Toy Village - is the name of the village in Punjab, about which a lot has been written, about its unique and special concept, Thatta Kedona is the name under which the handicraft products of the village and institutions connected to it within and outside the country are marketed.


“Thatta Kedona” is quite different in nature as compared to other NGO's or similar institutions: Help and support is provided to the people within the countryside, because “if the villagers earn some money, they are not forced to move to the cities, which are already overburdened with many problems”.
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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 7:04 AM, ,

Ten Years' Development – An Overview

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Ten years ago Thatta Kedona project started aiming to fight poverty and to support poor women living in the countryside in the district Okara. The products of Thatta Kedona project have earned a great reputation both inside and outside Pakistan, thanks to the voluntary efforts of designer and scientist Dr. Senta Siller. The main products are handcrafted dolls dressed in the garments of the different provinces of Pakistan and of minority groups such as the Kalashi and the Makrani.

In the past ten years there has been much talk in both national and international organizations, and in smaller circles, about supporting women living in the countryside. The key words in these discussions were 'women empowerment' 'tender training.' A lot has been written about this.
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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:00 AM, ,

Life as it is

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:00 AM, ,

Publications

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:10 AM, ,


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