Thatta Kedona

Culture is a Basic Need

Senta Maria Anna Siller
Saturday, March 7, 2026

Visit this link (https://archive.org/details/projekt-die-jahreszeiten) to know more about Dr Senta Siller and discover some of the steps in her journey from the city child (Vienna) to becoming a village child, and with these experiences and skills, returning to the city (Berlin) and then the world...

Labels: Dr. Sena Siller

posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:30 AM, ,

Dr. Senta Siller Receives the First-Ever Ruth Pfau Medal for a Lifetime of Lifting Pakistan’s Village
Thursday, November 20, 2025

Amjad Ali

At 90, a German Artist Receives Pakistan’s Highest Tribute for Her Lifelong Service to Its Poorest Village

On 16 November 2025, in the quiet Brandenburg village of Gross Behnitz near Berlin, an extraordinary moment unfolded: Dr. Senta Siller, the celebrated German artist, designer, and humanitarian visionary, was awarded the inaugural Ruth Pfau Medal by Her Excellency Saqlain Syedah, Ambassador of Pakistan to Germany.

The date was no coincidence - it was Dr. Siller’s 90th birthday.

Surrounded by more than sixty family members, friends, and longtime supporters, the ceremony became both a celebration of a remarkable life and a profound recognition of more than thirty-five years of unbroken commitment to one of the most overlooked corners of rural Pakistan: the small village of Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka in Okara District, Punjab.

In the presence of loved ones, the Ambassador fastened the newly created Ruth Pfau Medal around Dr. Siller’s neck and presented an official Certificate of Appreciation from the Government of Pakistan. The medal bears the name of the iconic German-Pakistani leprosy crusader Dr. Ruth Pfau (1929–2017), a woman who dedicated her life to the most marginalised. Few could imagine a more fitting first recipient.

For over three decades, Dr. Siller has quietly transformed Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka and surrounding villages through her “Yes, we can do it together!” philosophy. What began with handmade dolls and textile training for women has grown into schools, vocational centres, clean-water systems, women-led cooperatives, and a vibrant embroidery tradition that now sustains hundreds of families and reaches international markets.

She never asked for recognition. She simply kept showing up - year after year, decade after decade - turning creativity into dignity and friendship into lasting development.

As she steps into her 91st year, Dr. Senta Siller’s story reminds us that one determined heart, armed with compassion and imagination, can still change the world — one village, one woman, one child at a time.

Across borders, cultures, and generations, her light continues to shine.

Labels: Amjad Ali, Dr. Sena Siller, German Embassy, Germany, Ruth Pfau, Saqlain Syedah

posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:48 AM, ,

Celebrating traditions
Saturday, September 8, 2012

I am glad to be a small part of beautiful tradition of one child one tree being practices by Thatta Kedona in remote Punjab village Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka (aka Dolls' Village) located at the bank of River Ravi near Gogera. The NGO AFA presents one fruit tree on the birth of a baby and one flower tree on a wedding. Results: almost every household in Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka has a fruit and flower tree in their yards (in addition to their own kitchen garden). And it looks so good; refreshing.

This year the beautiful ceremony of handing over fruit and flower trees and celebration of 18 years of tradition was held in BHU. Here are some of the images of the event. Everyone missed Dr. Senta Siller, the originator of the tradition, who could come due to her engagements in Germany. Thanks to Dr. Norbert Pintsch who is still carrying on the work and traditions in the village.[X-posted from Light Within]

Labels: Dr. Norbert Pintsch, Dr. Sena Siller, One Baby One Tree, Posters

posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10:21 AM, ,