Divya Teja Pasupuleti, a Phd student from the Department of Anthropology recently attended the International Toy Library Conference 2014 held at Seoul, South Korea. The conference was about ‘play’, toys of various origins and the toy libraries across the world. Interestingly, she was the only one to get selected from University of Hyderabad (UoH) and India in the category of student/researcher presenters at the conference.
Divya presented a paper on Kondapally toys at the conference. She also annexed a short documentary film on Kondapally toy makers to the presentation at the conference which is unique when compared to other presenters at the conference.
The conference was organised by the executive members of the Korean Toy Library Association. Participants from different countries like Malaysia, Taiwan, Italy, Japan, South Africa and Mexico attended the conference. It provided a platform for the toy library organisers across the world to meet, discuss and learn the methods of implementing toy libraries.
Sharing her experience, Divya says that the conference was an unforgettable experience in various dimensions. It gave her an international exposure, provided knowledge of the games, toys and plays of various countries, enabled her to interact with the toy librarians of various countries, gave her a brief understanding of Korean culture and initiated interaction with several professionals who are in the field of toy designing. During her trip, she also met the Mayor of Seoul city and spoke about Kondapally toys and India.
Saumya Painuli, MA-Communciation