The story so far: The menu was finalised, the decor done, and the posters put up. All that was now left was for the exhibition to start.
The highlight of the show was going to be a display of photographs of the toys before their restoration, alongside the exhibits. This was the brainwave of Bharat and Bhavna, The 12-year-old twins were budding photographers. Rumi and his cousin Azra had spoken to each toy’s owner and created a note featuring stories of how these toys had been acquired and anecdotes about the memorable times spent with each.
Nostalgic notes
The note on Kabir’s toy read: “Gerry, the teddy bear, travelled all the way from the U.S. with my favourite uncle Sahil. Gerry has been my friend and confidante for many years. He was my solace when I lost my grandfather and he absorbed all my tears when I clung to him. I’m sorry to have neglected him when he was in bad shape. Now, he looks brand new, thanks to the sewing lessons from Suhasini.”
Rhea’s dollhouse said: “My Dada-Dadi made this lovely dollhouse for me. Dada fixed the structure with some leftover plywood and Dadi helped make the furniture and drapes inside. Dad fixed tiny lightbulbs inside and bought small vessels for the kitchen in the corner. I have been playing with it for so many years but, with no younger siblings or cousins, I want to pass this on to someone who will enjoy playing with it as much as I did. Thanks to Debashish for adding the tiny lawn and garden outside!”
Tahir’s GI Joe set and toy car collection were the results of years of studying hard. He had been given one for every test he did well in. He also hoped his special possessions would find a place where they would be treasured. Atul and his brother Atharv had a box of seven elaborate jigsaw puzzles that had been part of many family fun times. Their note read: “We double-checked while counting all the 500 jigsaw pieces of each set, and are glad to share that not a single piece is missing! This box was our friend through all the days we were unwell and unable to move out of our bed. We would love to exchange it with some new board games.”
Tia wanted a new home for her stuffed pets and so did Soona for her set of dolls from the different states of India.
To be continued.
