Donation of Faceless Dominican Dolls to the Shankar’s International Dolls Museum in New Delhi

New Delhi - On January 8, 2025, Ambassador David Puig, accompanied by members of the team of the embassy, donated 6 Faceless Dominican Dolls, also known as Limé Dolls, to the Shankar’s International Dolls Museum in New Delhi. The pieces were received by Ms. Yamuna Shankar, K. Shankar Pillai's daughter, and Ms. Navin Menon, In charge-Shankar's Doll Museum.

With over 6,500 pieces from around the world, the museum possesses the largest collection of dolls in India.  With an area of 481.66 square meters, the museum is part of the Children’s Book Trust, a pioneering cultural center, known for the publication and promotion of children’s literature. It was founded by cartoonist Keshava Shankar Pillai, one of the most renowned Indian political cartoonists of the 20th century.

Shankar Pillai, who frequently accompanied the first ruler of independent India, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, on his work trips within India and on his official visits abroad, conceived the Doll Museum with the support of Indira Gandhi in 1965, months before she became the first leader of India.

Due to the emblematic nature of the cultural center and the focus of the museum, the diplomatic mission donated 6 Dominican Faceless Dolls, one of the most iconic expressions of Dominican identity. The first faceless dolls were molded in Moca, a province located in the northern region of the country. They are also named Limé Dolls, after the sculptor who first designed them, Liliana Mera Limé. Their undefined facial features represent the multiculturalism of the Dominican Republic, a nation in the heart of the Americas, whose identity has resulted from the interactions of diverse ethnicities, religions and cosmovision.