Sutradhar A UNIMA India Publication

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR 02 THE CONTEMPORARY MARIONETTE THEATRE OF RAJASTHAN - DEVI LAL SAMAR 03 MAKING CROSS-OVERS IN INDIAN CONTEMPORARY PUPPETRY - MEHER CONTRACTOR 06 PUPPETEER-DESIGNER-FILM MAKER - RAGHUNATH GOSWAMI 14

WEAVING A CULTURAL FABRIC FOR PUPPETRY - SURESH DUTTA 20

Issue 8 MARCH 2018 Unima India President Ranjana Pandey acknowledged. they have emerged from a vacuum. They owe agreat dealto thesepersonalities whohave rarely been The newbies of the21stcentury who have been working for thelastdecade,shouldnot believe that It istheright time to acknowledge their contribution. of their times.Their influence andthe foundations they laid continue to re-verberate. National and International awards. They putthe Puppet Arts centre stage of the Performance arts scenario Puppet-ry. Meher Contractor,Devi LalSamar, Suresh Datta and Raghunath Goswami were honoured with students andintheendmomentum of their pioneeringefforts created thebeginnings of Contemporary But eachof thesepersonalities were suchthat they wieldedanimportant influence ontheir peers and thought beyond their own boundary. Each onetriedto buildanInstitution.Some with great andsome withon-ly moderate success. Eachone evolved by them-Suresh Datta isacaseinpoint. Some even went for training to the West. The markof thistraining re-mains strongly stampedonthestyle Some remained within their cultural context flew andsome far and wide. Some event or achance meeting, catalysed their fascination. Puppetry. None of them were generational puppeteers .In fact to begin witheachone of them was very far from India inthe1950’s was a young democracy. It provided a wide openplaying field for allthesepersonalities. early next year. pro-cess of research andgather enoughmaterial for asecond issueonCon-temporary Puppeteers of India talented puppeteers have beenleft un-sungswallowed inthe cobwebs of time.We intend to the keepup appearing inMarg (volume 21issue3)provided many leads.Despite allour efforts,I amsure that many other names who surprisedus,and we are frustrated by theblindalleys we have comeagainst.An up article enough information to fleshouthiscareer,his contribution , orfindhisstudents and followers.There were of journalsandbooksanamaz-ing body of work proved to bethemostmysterious. We could not find One of themostfascinating personalities MadhuLal Master,who left a collection ofhispuppets,collection Devi LalSamar,Meher Behn Contractor ,Raghunath Goswami,and Suresh Datta. know thechief players of thosethree decades- we could find.The source of our in-formation hasbeenlargely first person accounts frompeople who knew/ It hasbeenhard to piece together thisjigsaw puzzle.There are many gaps…but we bringto you whatever The information was scanty. Most of theplayers are nolonger withus. We took theperiodbetween 1950and1980’s for our search. There are few accounts andfewer articles of this fascinating timeinthejourney ofthe Puppet Artsin India. Contemporary Puppet Theatre inIndia. The intersection between tradition that andmodernity-perhaps is how onecandescribetheemergence of 2 A Note from theEditor and passion for dance is probably what led him to use Vidya arts and Puppetry. His association Bharatiya with Uday Shankar in teacher a Bhavancareera farpath removed from Performance as started Lal Devi that Igleanedthefollowing… through walk the and accounts his from mostly is It man who sowed the love of performance arts in many. remarkable this ofjourney the of length at spoke He Riaz Tehsin Sahib,knew Devi Lal Samar as a young boy. rehearsal…. a tick-ets,watching show buying audience eager the corridors watching performances, the through sitting building, and through walking hours many spent I know thisunusualbuildinginUdaipur! my not does Who directions. any for need not did me meeting me brought given that auto had appointment.The an Sahib, Tehsin gentle,Riaz City.The Udaipur of centre the in space large very a over out spread are premises the kept, well are gardens The It was nosimpletask. Lok Kala Mandal. - Bharatiya Institution remarkable a built did.He he without achieved what have not could he qualities two But these determination. and passion his reveal seeing in the lobby of the Lok Ka-la Mandal, it doesn’t all and benign portrait,hanging white and black stern Devi Lal Samar was one such person.If you look at his by caste and creed.They dared to dream and succeed. set boundaries cross to education theirof advantage ample provided opportunity for innovation. nation A selected the few took Building In-dia- Independence Post in time exciting an been have must 1950’s The 1 By Ranjana Pandey Devi LalSama |Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal | Udaipur Theatre of Rajasthan…. The Contemporary Marionette ei a Smrs iin eand otd n the in rooted remained . them of fiercely proud was Mewar. vision He of traditions Samar’s Lal Devi understand their identity. to struggle their and independence, post western educa-tion with raised generations new the between A community studied,honoured,collected. bridge a cre-atedperformances regular and Museum were life The village of present. the fabric into woven the were which dances,traditions between and festivals, Phad) a ka continuity celebrations,narratives,(like Bapuji past provided the Institution The landmark a got Udaipur of city Institution in1952. the how is This Rajasthan Mandal. of Minister allotted land and funds ,Chief to build the Bharatiya Lok Kala Sukhadia Mohanlal Kapoor andmany other personalities of thetimes. likeDr.Zakirimpressedpeople He Hussain,PrithviRaj folk the his traditions of Mewar he guard,promote,celebratefound acceptance. out honour,safe spelt institution mark to land Lalji a create Devi to was when which vision that meant This the right circles and Devi Lal found many supporters.. Such were the times that his free spirit made waves in fired witha vision of creating apermanent space. became he arts, performancejoyof power and sheer workshops became popular.When he experienced the summerHisclassroom. the in childrenarts” with “the creating apermanent space. of vision a with fired became he arts, performance experiencedhe When sheer the powerjoy and of 3

SUTRADHAR portrayed the same characters. This departure from departure This characters. same the portrayed they though even different were puppets the Now the Rajasthani Kathputli. of stylisation the and technique manipulation cross” “no the against as characterisation realistic and cross europeanintroducedthe he thatnatural It quite was craftsmanship of themarionettes. the and manipu-lation the of quality the decades)in was very pure and training sincere. So much so it still shows The (after many strong. was foundation The and established the fundamental innovationsdiscipline of training. technical the led repertory, puppet the travelled Puppetry.He in widely in Europe. training Once back in Udaipur,he formulated get to Republic same the Czechoslovak the shared to sent was passion.He protege- and vision -his and man talented this forging new space in for the Puppet alone Arts. Govind Karnik nota young was Lal Devi Fortunately, Drama and Division Department,Song and even Banks and Educational Institutions. Sanchar Grameen linkage between the puppeteers and the new patrons- opened thedoors to a this All Mandal. Kala were Lok Bah-ratiya puppeteersthrough trained 3,000 than more years the Over was thefirst of many campsand festivals. created.It were narratives New work-shops. training and sharing, a by marked was gathering historic This large gathering at Bedla village. Bringing the mi-grant Kathputli troupes together in a deep attention to them by creating alocalised paid festival. He community. this for affection great had Lal with a bag of puppets , gypsy like, and very poor. Devi time at that were traversing diffi-cult terrain on foot,on mule puppeteers back Kathputli traditional The would for cinema invade. need and urban television the Soon of entertainment. expectation the match to had It different. theatre,something expect will proscenium audience the a into put and perfor-mance) folk any matter that for or Kathputli)- the ( context its of out taken when that awareacutely Yetwas he 4 In 1965 Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal took a traditional a took Bharatiya Mandal Kala 1965 InLok Bhai becamethechief trainer. Live Shyam and young died unfortunately Karnik, system. Govind sound a musicians or recorded tracks both were used. sewing and props with drops,complex workshop- costume machines and tailors, stage lights, curtains, wings,back making a puppet equipped workshop, well a created Kala Lok productions, large and expensive these support To Ramayan” . “The was sixties the complexin style this in createdformance have could per- you successful team. A large a requiring productions meant It luxury. a was miniaturepro-sceniumtheatre.Havingfixed theatre a This model of Puppetry developed all the trappings of and Swami Vivekananda were chosen. Budha Ramayan,Gautam like Themes . gravitas with light frivolous the hearted entertainment model of of folk art to something out lifted was Puppetry that Together this team stuck to the “big stories” to ensure the form. contemporarinessto alike.freshnessand broughtIt a performers and audience by embraced was tradition today. even shows daily Mandal’s Kala Lok of part a popular are manipulated,they skilfully and made Skilfully puppets. trick of host a for inspi-ration the provided times, those in entertainment popular a - Circus The the first he facilitated the entry of Rajasthani folk ofRajasthani fields the entry diverse facilitated he first from the friends ThroughCariappa. Genral important and Kapoor Rajlike,Prithvi had He to Lok Kala Mandal. open were networks regional and resources national Samar, Lal statureofsheerDevi of the with.Because reckon to force a was Samar Lal Devi lifetime, his In proceedings were publishedby SNA. The after. years for felt were states discussions important and very forms these of reverberations Different The represented. were India. in Puppetry of of Devi Lal Samar-a 3 day discussion about the status tradition the in - Mandal Kala Lokby hosted seminar later,A,theredecade another1992 wasimportantIn the baton andkept theflagflying… up patronstook and Many work.members dedicated his continued Mandal Kala Lok 1981 Lal in Samar away passed Devi after strong.Even was ofthe organisation foundation . The mar-ionette contemporary the of a gatewaygrowth for became Institution The Festival was alandmark. the seems It Calcutta. fromPuppets” “The troupe his of participation the and Festival this of mention a is there accounts Goswami’s Raghunath in But today. available are participants and program the recordsof Few India. in Festivals such first the of one perhaps was It Udaipur. in Festival Puppetry a host to 1959 in decided Samar Lal Devi awards. won Festivals and The repertory had already participated in International and narratives Indian aesthetics. authentic with technique theme and tech-nique. They were combining western in Innovating both rods. and marionettes Theymixed rod with experimented puppets. A even story onBhagwan Budh was prepared. they time some For contemporary the for space puppet inhisown Institution. a cre-ate to resolve This Theyacknowledgement strengthened Devi Lal Samar’s Festival. Puppetry created waves and won aprize. the International to items Bucharest Kathputli typical the of performance training for puppeteers. and I even heard of some plans to start a pro-fessional growthnewof prospects bythe excitedarethey But new director -Dr.Laique Hussain,have their hands full. There is much to be done. The dedicated team and the personality, there canbea vac-uum -hard to fill. towering one with synonymous be-comes Institution Lok Kala Mandal has seen its ups and downs. When an made itmemorable for all. show “Circus” the of antics the at delight of squeals tourists.Theindigenous with brim the to full was hall the shows, the watched I throng.When tourists The and draws fullhousesdaily for itsperformances. The Lok Kala Mandal boasts of 3 performance spaces It is a tourist landmark even today, after unique nearly 70years. this complex of buildings. sus-tain helps patrons committed and State the from support continuous The . crores 2 of Today the Institution has an impressive annual budget into theclass-room inRajasthan. ali- brary.With Governmentcreated support he brought puppetry of Mewar.He traditions folk different fromthe impressive arte-facts of collection an casing on 6books are Puppetry.He created a museum contributions of the Folk Arts, show many his Amongst generational puppeteers. orevenlarger the team. support They are mostly non there are very few Bhatts on the rolls of the repertory note-stone.Today to in interesting cast is are rolesit a caste and of gender where short Mewar in nothing specially miracle was force work the in women include Toto and professionalstatus a Puppetry give the ideaof “Jhanki’s” intheRepublic Day Parade. music into Bollywood - Through the other he mooted 5

SUTRADHAR f i mte. h frt id r toe ht hehas that those are kind first The mother. his memories ofof kinds two carry to seems he that him directrecognizeresponses.can One after to listening session with deviations becoming more insightfulstorytelling than a into notesnowballs of but interview,the an being on begins Navroze with Conversation Navroze Contractor puppeteers, oneof who isMansingh Zala. students who went on to become the next generation not only grew as a puppeteer but also honed a pool of Meherwhich in era independence – post early the in very city Ahmedabad the of two hear we Navroze’sstories, In from Meher of different portraiture perspectives which intersect at many points. a build we narratives their Through Zala. Mansingh student her by and Contractor Navroze son her is by remembered she article, this In UNIMA. the of chapter Indian the started she UNIMA, the of member a as Active about. spoken be to needs who personality stands a as she out lives, networks many touched process international the in and and national urban, rural, across traversed work whose someone As platform. Academy, International an on Darpana puppetry Indian for and of Gujarat in puppetry out for space a out Based carved she Ahmedabad times. puppeteers her illustrious most of the of one was Behn, Meher as known lovinglyContractor, Rustom Meher 6 2 contemporary puppetry Making cross-overs inindian By Sammitha Sreevathsa Meher Contractor h tmoa bc ad ots oe a arv a an at arrive can one forths, and back temporal the despite but order chronological a in unfurl life not does Meher’s conversation, following the In well. as a puppetry for in atmosphereexperimentation suitable offering hence direction every in sprouting were institutions educational first the where Ahmedabad of scape urban Nehruvian the to puppetry in career network, world of puppetry. It helps in contextualizing Meher’s asbuilding the to made has she teaching) opportunities, making (such contributions yet intangible lasting the so understand us becomes helping is what in crucial which Meher situated of socially perspective a very offer stories his Therefore home. his out walk and in walkstudentsmother’s his as onlookercomfortable a puppeteer, a as world her from an proximate place, he stands at the periphery of talks he Though homes. people’s other at her home, and others were towards her, images of people at her presence among people, how she was is her towards others his stories in unwell. itself was repeating keeps she what Yet, when hospital the in being or her with table dining the sharing space, public a in hand her holding either her fromaway feetfew a barely is he that sense can one memories, experiential his of most In emotionally. and physically – space intimate an from narrative Meher,of springs His born. was he his mother. These include the stories of her life before the ones he has formed after listening to the stories of experienced himself as he grew up and the second are n pitd on I okd on n sw that saw and me asked she down Then rags. picking lookedwere urchins some I down. pointed and balcony the to me took and hand my by me clasped she remember I work, about complaining was I Once classes. cooking take to once Paris to went things. also She other and cookies cakes, of lot a baked she cook, excellent an was would herself mother father my But my cook. holiday, a had cook that day. day that The on plans other make to allowed we circumstancewere no under and house the clean to had We housework. the do to had we off, an get would they when week a Once them. with behave to were different family, so she laid down the rules for us as to how we ofthe a rest the to had compared mother them with relationship My servants. as working were who people many werethere house the in and family Industrialist big a was family father’s My NC: and principled”? SS: very strictand very principledinher own way. also was she But eat. to likedthey knowwhat would she stayus theyand with comeWhen friends. would my of birthdays the remember would she up, grew I When family. the in catalyst a was She everyone. to cards sent birthdays, everybody’s remembered that great-grandfatherMyalive. was mother type the was my even and grandmother my when days the were families.their Those and uncles our Ahmedabadwith When I was growing up we lived in a big compound in earliest memory Ihave of her. mythe think I is was Sabha the in them crying motherMymother. among one and crying not was who crowd the in soul single a not was There crying. was everyone that distinctly remember I time whole The ways,they tooktoShok me the Sabha the in Ashram. his and familyourGandhi werein believersin people Since family. the of myfather’s side with ashram the across Ahmedabad in live shot to used We was 1948. in Gandhijidead when old years three was I NC: mother? SS: adult life which started very early for her. mostly life, her of phases different of understanding ht s h eris mmr yu ae f your of have you memory earliest the is What Can you tell a little about what you mean by “strict India and she couldn’t finish her education. She came hercouldn’t education. She finish she and India to to back afford sent was she So could back. sent were back who come children the and started war world second the that was happened what anyway But Arts. of Academy Royal the in study to ship by London to alone traveled she 17, just was she when 1935, year the in So her. for waiting was he And did. Andshe you. marry I’ll 3years after me for waiting still you’re If back. come and education and my London finish to Ill going I’m wait, you him told she her,so marry to wanted Dad My love. in fell they and Art of when she was School just 16. That JJ is when she from met my father degree married. a got and got Cambridge she after Beforethatshe herShewas finished studying. Senior happened Puppetry NC: she practicing puppetry? SS: she was really loved by my grandmother. floor the sweep to asked was she though and family the in daughter-in-law first the me!.”was motherMy and all but here is a broom, sweep the floor and show England in studied havemay “you said mother grand introduced she to grandmother, was my time first my the that later, me told mum my But marry. to artist an himself found after all son herhappy that was she So her ideologies. in liberal she was time Atsame the tyrant. cultural a call would I what was grandmother My allowed. was music film No art. light of abhorred kind any and classical Hindustani loved She freak. My grandmother was very artistic and kind of a controlengaged. culturally werethey but family industrialist she came to Ahmedabad. My father’s family was a big study.myis gotto she it married So when father that to Ahmedabad from travelled had who there father my met and Panchagani in up grew mother My NC: SS: was 4 annas, 25 paisa. I had to give 5 paisa for charity. foraside it sakethe of charity. My pocketfirst money some pocket getting money, we were taught to started keep some of we when Even asylum. Leprosy the in then Ahmedabad, in organization womens’ a with was one work, social in engaged deeply was herself pointedly “when they don’t complain, how can I?” She What was she doing before she got married. Wasmarried. gotbefore she doing she Whatwas How didsheendupin Ahmadabad? 7

SUTRADHAR enrolled me in the school and together we were about to myschool. WeSotheir neighbors. motherbe children to used their send to parents the asking house, to house fromSarabhaiwent So otherregularthings. people because the ofanyor exam no be therewould be that told were would it school a of kind what knew nobody course, Of Ahmedabad. in started was “Shreyas” called India of school Montessori first the a came, Montessori Madam open when So and India. in come school to Montesorri Madam wanted She education. sister in interested very elderwas Sarabhai Lina Sarabhai’s Vikram ladies, of Sarabhai one Ahmedabad the in that is happened What NC: SS: father would keep receiving her letters. back, my be would she after even manytimes so and everyday. letter She one too would receive reply could to his letters she from there that so day every post would find a letter waiting for her. He would write and she reaches she when that so him across right sitting be would she if even her, to writing start would he to post a sevenbeforereachdaysLondon.reachwouldSoshe for days seven take would it days Those her tickets so he always knew when she was to leave. every single day. My father would be the one to book othereach to write to traveltheyused to very much, started she When do. Into wanted she that her.everything supported father my career her through All him. for first came always wife His secondary. were with her. we love that knew always inwe up growing were we When was madly he he died day the till Ithink her. of supportive extremely was father My had left andfinishedher degree. behind me with my father. leaving She continued from education where she her finish to England to back went she , old years 2 was in I After born. finished was I war 1944 the when then child, one had they Anyway rationing. severe was There everybody. for time difficult a was it war the during Then born. was her head. Then they got married and my elder brother in her English clothes with a suit and feathered cap on port and I’m old it was all quite romantic. She returned myherbrotherfatherand receivethe to heron went back in 1939 I.e after three and half years. Apparently 8 At what point didpuppetry enter her life? she was not at all eccentric. Even when she got her got she when Even eccentric. all at not was she but eccentric are artists say people of Lot stories. of lot a me telling up ended she two when that’s and nights and days two for ourselves by car the in were us of two The Bangalore. from Ahmedabad to down Once, when my mother was here we decided to drive Bangalore. to moved I after later, much know to got I me, told she stories the of many So films. of world to hermy own got involved very in I manytimes. rehearsals drop and up her pick would I but rehearsals 36 or 37 years. I never actually sat down and saw her Darpana Academy. She was working with Darpana for with working started she known, well quite become had she time this By 60s. early in was that study, to NC: I do but very little because I went away to Baroda you remember her rehearsing with others? do seriously, very puppetry taking started she when SS: under Obratsav. my mother went to Czechoslovakia to study puppetry a good place to train in puppetry. So when I was was 5 or 6, Czechoslovakia that out found didsome and research my mother family, the in responsibilities other her of because beginning the in hesitant very puppetry.Though study puppetry, in her that train would the places about out find to mother my asked became popular. Offering her support, Lina behn then performance their mela, Shreyas in year, That show. older kids) had a little five minute(the Panchatantrathey and puppets puppet glove some made mum my So Mela. year’s that for kids older some with puppetry in hands her try to mother my asked Behn Lina that happened so It participate. would school whole the which in Mela” “Shreyas called festival a have would teacher.Shreyasart an of each as end yearAt the we joined mother My school. at art teach to Behn Lina by called was she artist, an mymotherwas since and arts the on keen very were They kids. kindergarten older for – and parts two into divided simply were kids age-groups. The different from were who all were wereenrolled students we The batch. started first the “Shreyas” as enrolled school, this when So school by then.He was five years older to me. 30 children. My elder brother was already in boarding ht o o rmme o hr rm h time the from her of remember you do What quite often. She would stay there with very little Benaras very with in there stay Ramlila would in She perform often. quite to used She NC: SS: comment aboutit. don’tknowto I enough but puppets small and big his with seen have I works Dadi’s of I Some know. So don’t works. students her of any seen haven’t I NC: any of her students puppetry? SS: about it.She was Ithinkquite content with Darpana. me to spokenever she also But so. think don’t I NC: institute? SS: around my mother. being likedreally people that is remember do I What we and always rough wanted very to play were cricket, We football puppetry.that much or go in swimming. not interest show did also We parties. birthday NC: Not really, but she did perform in other children’s SS: my mother. had just come to Ahmedabad to study puppetry under and said, this is where she lives and I am her son. Dadi house my to pointed I live?”Contractor Meher does ‘Where me asked mother His out. walking was I and walking holding his mother’s hand into out compound he was remembersmall, Dadionce wasI when them. would be home and the students would want to meet many guests, to have Meschke like Micheal puppeteers international Oftimes used work. we with time her the all help course and come would they so other students who used to live in the same compoundwere there But home. come come would Dadi Even to home. wish would students her of Many parent. With NC: her students she was like a teacher-mother- around her students? SS: sitting with my father’s secretary. even want to go and pick it up. Her SNA award is now Padmashree she never let it take over her. She did not Mother asapuppeteer. What do you remember? in work Meher’s of glimpses any seen you Have Did she ever feel like starting her own organization/ Did she ever perform for you asakid? was she how about anything remember you Do play cards. everything, shehadtime to go to partiesand dad after my looking school, a running puppetry, and this all doing besides And them. to back it give photograph and the color would she and and black picture a white her give white to and used black People the photographs. coloring started also she this from Apart work. her of full be to used table dining ourremember I money.fetched it and thing big very a were sarees painted hand Because started sarees. painting mother My crisis. financial a through going were we time the from is remember I thing Another her education shedidnot inform. pursuing frommother my stop would it that hesitant but towards beforeevenleft England my motherhad cancer with suffering was Itturned grandmother my that and regret. out guilt in anger, alone suffer to had and helpless was She away. passed indeed had it was so verified that gypsy woman was right. intimated Her mother was she or family her to connected mother my either Then died. had mother) mother’s (my mother her that her told She something mother. my tell had to she that replied woman gypsy The house. the to walking was hence and there lived she Myproblemthatmotherreplied was. asked the what and them of both stopped he So gypsy. a by chased police sawthis and that youngcame man one woman being was house, the entering was she as just and started chasing her. She managed to reach her house, woman gypsy a when show India) in was she when films in him seen had and fan big his was (she Glib’s returning home late in the night after watching a John three hour Shakespeare plays standing. Once she was money,no had but she so wouldbuy tickets to watch majorLondon.theatrebuffa in She she waswas that NC: One striking story she told me was from the time SS: It simultaneously happened Ithink. NC: aperforming becoming puppeteer. to education in puppetry SS: 10 atleast times. gone have might she but arrangements So when did she make this transition from doing from transition this make she did when So Any stories that she told you, would you like to share? 9

SUTRADHAR i lf wt hr s e suet wrig n her on well very the working of some – with touring student and productions her as her with life his shared has He community. puppetry the inside from Mansingh Zala takes a look at Meher Contractor’s periphery, life the at stands Contractor Navroze While Mansingh Zala unfulfilled. leftwas hersof been wish that So Sundaymorning. the on had troupe her and rehearsing everyday for the performance morning but she died Monday a Pakistan to on go to going were They time. long a for Pakistan visit to wanted She Pakistan. to gone never had she but world the in countries the all almost to somewhere, my father was no more. She had travelled or Canada or Africa in was brother my Bangalore, in was I her. with there was nobody died, she day The very conscious. socially was but aware much politically not was world. She their of limitations the knew She her. things about these realize we did her grieve to in people poured when died she after only Its it. about scene unlikeopportunities. But today, never she big a made she understood that they did not have access to these because her with abroad take would she would who So she always had two students from the lower castes she was pally with thepeopleinpower. that helped also It direction. a it givegrow, city their seeing in investedvery weredays those Ahmedabad started, of today.rich Theis it howlike not laboratory.wasIt Sarabhai physical school, dance Mrinalini her started Lakhia that Kumudini Montessory schools NID, system IIM, like firsts many were There be. to place then the Ahmedabad 70s was and 60s in documentary has said that if was you were 70s a young person the and 60s a in Correa Charles new things. very accepting the of think the in I city a otherwise as But Ahmedabad Kathputli. is puppetry that make puppetry to acceptable. To was get people out ofone the mode of thinking I think But specifically. were challenges her what way a in know dont I NC: to become apuppeteer? SS: 10 Whatface to ofwerehad kind she challengesthe n rn a upty rue n e mmr called memory her in troupe puppetry a runs and personality her by overwhelmed be to continues he specific continue her legacy puppetry. in anything,More than a to dedicated with clearly is he her aesthetic, an or associate technique to seem doesn’t he though Even teacher. young a as the skills her to and puppeteers offered she support into the puppetry light, contemporarypublic bringing in work her local attitude she inthe shifted in Gujarat towards puppetry, work her made, sectorsapplied like education andentertainment, the has she productions the - puppetry to contributions intangible and tangible her about talks He practice. her of range the as well as work depth ofthe herdetails us puppeteer,giving a as life and at pointedly focuses he So ones. known later joined her in her work. At that time she was she time that At work. her in her joined later was he when 1976 about in Meher met Zala Mansingh Meher Contractor- thePuppeteer the articleinthird person narrative. write to decided I English, into it translate to began I when own his quite not was Zala Mansingh of voice only the not since However, be translated. to also had but interviewtranscribed the so and Hindi in happened conversation The past. collective a share India in puppeteers contemporaryand howpuppetry ofexample living a as stand memories her on pass to desire and teacher his with connection “Meher”.His 16 years old to learn puppetry under her and her under puppetry learn to old years 16 an International debut in 1985 in France. Like many of making finally production, this on years 13 about for slowly worked She it. about more out find to Iran to traveled she epic, Persian this to drawn deeply being that us tells He about. speaks and of part a was Zala production Rustom and Sohrab which again Mansingh Her work in the shadow was taken further in her next traditional puppeteers. the not are themselves puppeteers andmost the importantlylong an hour to abridged is narrative the to Gujrati, Telugu from changes language narrative process. this to The Gujrati audiencecentral was a to a form traditional Andhra recontextualizinga inferthat Ramayana can one and Ramayana making of process Meher’s the about makes non-traditional contemporary production? Meher in her use article writes What they way puppets? same traditional the the puppets use puppeteers contemporary the Can India. in puppetry of discourse the shape today even that questions of lot a up throwing puppetry, and traditional contemporary between relationship tothe our attention it calls puppets, traditional the accessing community the outside from people With traditional puppetry. With thisproduction, and contemporary between gap the bridge to work first the being production, of virtue by puppetry Indian Contemporary of landmark history the in but a life Meher’s in only not became This response. good very a received have to known are they where Meher in many countries with including in Ramayan Islamic countries performed has He her. with perform i.e.in died she and manycountries to her tour with Hewould 1992. year the till years 17 about for with her worked and studied He Academy. Darpana in puppets are no more within the confines of the of confines community of the traditional puppeteers. the within more traditional no the are that puppets realizes show. This one as long puppetry the discourse of of hour the gears aone shifts also production suit to narrative in Darpana Academy and re-crafted the Ramayana werepuppetsthat preserved by MrinaliniSarabhai Meher brought to life the Andhra “Tolubommalata” 11

SUTRADHAR she made a one hour production on the history of history the on production hour one a made she and sometimes educational entertaining. Using 3D rod puppets often in 70s, were alocal also which channel he for Gujrati productions Meher, TV with on career working time his spent of course the In opening. its see to live not did she script, the on worked and the puppets made she though and productions her she might of last the became also Shakuntala him. what from expect understand intuitively to enough work her absorbed had he when by period a as time this remembers also He teacher. his with in engaged remembers this work especially for the discussions he tradition.” Kalamkari the palette of colour He specific the the within of remained She idiom tradition. Kalamkari Gujrati aesthetic the in puppets these made the of puppets high 6ft she the Tolubommalata, from ft2 to puppets Shakuntala, the of size for the “Reducing says, puppets Zala leather 1992. traditional made in she the changes Shakuntala to the on of some work on technique light next Throwing shadow her leather in even using continued She to represent.” of what is the kind of character she wants the puppet imagination strong and clear very a had She making. paint and draw. She was so sure of what she would be draw. to pencil Many times she the would just take a brush use and dip it into never would “She says He skills. herof aspects special most the sketchingwere and drawing her view,drawing...” his the In changing but technique same the using puppets and themes new developed and Contractor Meher of direction the under Puppets Shadow Andhra of technique the revived “Darpana Puppetry Contemporary article Indian Ghosh’s on in Sampa a quote find also we this, puppets as well as the music was Persian”. In line with technique but the aesthetic (looks and features) of the playSohrab that the did, weused we shadowAndhra also saw some unique visual playaesthetic. “In the Rustom eyes.” This audience’s the in tears our brought always almost it that written well so was soliloquy a give to playhad Rustomofthe where end tragic “the says he wrote, she script the on Commenting her.by her productions, the script for this one too was penned 12 Work related and personal. And many times in in her. in manyWorktimes personal. And related and listenand to problemsthe of all those who would work for teachus like mother. a She wouldalways engage with “Abouther teachingstyle, onecould say she that would asked abouther pedagogy thisis what hehadto say: of responsibility the on helping them build their careers as puppeteers. took When she students, her to asa that us tell teacher she definitely did insights more than His teaching puppetry. puppetry of practice sharedbeyondtheirteacher his recognizesHeas her For Mansigh Zala, this was the first identity of Meher. Meher asa Teacher was donemy Mansingh Zala. serial this for testing and editing The ofAhmadabad. establishment and growth the on focusing show, TV regular a became later production This Ahmedabad. oen upty n uaa ws o had f until of heard not So was puppets. Gujarat in of puppetry modern kind other no was there Kathputli own words “Till then in Gujarat, other than Rajasthani Inhis puppetry. towards attitude public the change likevariousmedia glove, rod, shadow to began which sure to try it. be In her would If time at she Darpana, shefestivals dabbled where. with in eye her every caught something from influences drew she a As learner learnt. had she what experiment her to for and execute a place became that institute this was it puppetry.However,Darpana to back came she when of lot a learnt she when is Shreyas at puppetry working studyafter to abroad went she when is hefeels it that curve, learning his teacher’s on Reflecting A teacher as a learner and her spirit of experimentation connecting people witheach other.” people to letters writing always was She her. around people help to connections herof use this made she and like organizations other many and CCRT SNA, in connected well also was She people. diverse and puppetry in developments new to exposed were us here,puppeteersmany the and ofIndiawith to come to countries from other people the getting also but platform International an to puppetry Indian taking name called Meher – the troupe. Since she was not want to only promote her name, I’m running I an NGO in herToday because students. many so for scholarships got even She a field. in her of ahead getting students in puppetry. She never hesitated at the thought of her name big a such has too he Takeus. Pudumjee, Dadi puppetry. Now he has really gone ahead of studyso many to of Moscow to Datta Suresh sent she Forexample successful. became and there from grew really her joined who people of lot unhesitatingly, a people promoted and more learn to people encouraged she lotoflikea to used people to work her.with Because natureheroflightly. Because it taking were people if it like not did Sheseriously. work to had herwe with about being disciplined. We knew that when we were particular quite was she However patience learners. of towards lot a had She repeatedly. person same the to thing same the neverliketeaching she minded seemed it Also, opportunities. everyone give would who person of kind the was She people. multiple by puppetryrolesingle a character out carried be to had at Poorna Learning Centre, Bangalore. Currently, sheis teaching Language andSocial Sciences reviews for the cultural supplement of The Hindu. of performing arts.She regularly writes performance Sammitha Sreevathsa isa writer anddocumentarian stories same without innovating the anything new.” repeating kept they but Masters were They puppeteers. traditional from mostly were uneducated puppeteersmany uneducatedbackground ofand the an from came puppeteers the of most ofcontemporaryrise Gujrat. puppetrythen the in to Till key was which puppetry to crowd educated the drawing in was but accomplishment big puppeteers Meher’s think traditional I of lot a supported and also helped has Meher opportunities. international people. to So it puppetrywas not perform as if to we were Gujrat invested in only in places the rural to lot a toured we because possible was attitude in change This kinds. many the of one is Kathputli and puppets Slowly people got to know there are different kinds of started it. Infact tillthey would call puppets as Kathputli. she puppetry in on “productions” work no were the There it. started and along came Behn Meher 13

SUTRADHAR l e e 14 t o r i g h t :

M e h e r

R u s t o m

C o n t r a c t o r

,

M a d h u l a l

M a s t e r ,

S u r e s h

D u u a ,

R . N

L a l

S r i v a s t a v a a n d

D a d i

D o r a b

P u d u m j e e 15

SUTRADHAR as a space for Puppetry, in Ahmedabad. Madhulal Madhulal worked with “Blind Puppeteers”in Mumbai! Ahmedabad. and box the in of out completely Puppetry,thought who Master for space a as Meher Contractor, at that time, exploring the Classroom forthe tradi-tional folk forms of Mewar,Rajasthan. a showcase provided aspiration.It different different a very with very in 1952-but a established aspiration.Also with a But also Lok was space. who’s activity “contemporary” Samar’, with throb-bing Lal Mandal, Devi Kala others- were There puppet theatre. Puppets”In-dia’s “The contemporary first established proudly he 1952, saw in when puppetry for unit passion this design professional his how wonder You was anunusualman. The statement is telling of his unique view point.Here professional. industry advertising an and designer a “Puppet is my first love” a brave statement coming from outstanding talent.” Sapna Sen of man a - doer a and self- thinker a was a who man made was He communi-cator. social a and maker film a puppeteer, a designer, a artist, professional,an visionary a innovator, an was Goswami, “Raghunath 16 3 13th January 1931-19 January 1995 By Sapna Sen Raghunath Goswami Puppeteer-Designer-Film maker - another one in a school. A gift to the childrenof Calcutta. Hecreated Puppet a TheatrePuri”,“Putul later made he and experi-mented freely andparticipated in festival. Together they made many productions, performances talented group of young designers. a gatheredmanyinspired and He vice-president.the and teacher.He evenjoined Unima India and became maker film a also but writer, and designer a just not RaghunathGoswamiof man a wasmany hats.He was Mewar. of identity cultural strong the by marked were hand other the on , Mandal Kala Lok and Samar, Lal Devi identity. emerged from an aesthetic-free of any specific cultural other to exposurepuppeteers through Unima his India.Most of did his creations as him on impact an had course of practices design and NID to exposure His form (Puppets) for thesheer pleasure of creation. forcesunu-sual join this freedomtoand wanted with in restrictions flowing were class and caste fromfree who people minded like many found exploration.He ’s journey Goswami was others,Raghunath unique. His the goal was to quite clearly- compared creative As The Federation of Puppet Theatres,of West Bengal West Theatres,of Puppet of Federation The locally, Also 1982. in vice-president joined the became and also puppeteers) Indian of organisation He an ( India Ahmedabad. Unima Design, National of to consultant Institute a was he these from Apart and film production. theatre communication, relations, pub-lic design, exhibition design, interior designing, graphic provide to design and production Associates, services & related to Goswami ad-vertising, R. 1960, in unit designing independent an established He illustrator. designer/ book a as career his started he designer,A by Sapna Sen THE JOURNEY recognition. and awards him brought Goswami’swork Raghunath projector, with animation and even film. overhead an with lamp, a with puppets,shadows rod marionettes,gloves, with experimented He puppetry. of form any one to bound be not creativity could His The puppeteers were not actors.They did not reveal not actors.Theydid not were puppeteers The fash-ioned. old remained performances his respect, western modern not expect the puppeteer to be-come the by actor.In this influenced practices, Raghunath Goswami’s Puppet direction did being Despite of ‘Three littlepigs’. ananimal story Bal’- popular ‘Kemonthe Jabdo’-and on story based ‘Buddhir rhyme, traditional Indian on based Bagdoom’-‘Agdoom stories, Ramayana on Ray’s ‘Abak Jalpan’, ‘Ravaner Chikitsha – a satire based Sukumar fairytale, a – Pala’ Vijoy ‘Hattogol like plays memorable many produced PUPPETS’ ‘THE puppets freedom of expression. Since the use of hand and rod and movementof greaterpliancy gave puppets hand that felt was it experimentation much After puppets. glove and rod to took they time of passing the With the and ‘Beauty ofBeast’ was produced inBengali. tale The Violin. and Piano also and Dotara Khamak, Dholak, – like instruments folk used personally him by onfolk composed music, The tales. based plays produce to marionettes made PUPPETS’ ‘THE pulp. wood later and straw made wood, of dolls ma-nipulated string He with backdrop. experimented a tiedto against dolls Kalighat with strings of heads the started puppetry his Initially Traditions. to in order moveforward.He back looked for inspiration the at Bengal look we always that It interesting of Bengal. is puppet) glove (traditional Putul Benir and puppet) rod (traditional Putul Danger the sthan, the by in-spired was He technique of the traditional string puppets from Raja- India. in team not if puppet Bengal, in non-traditional old-est was, the This PUPPETS’.perhaps, ‘THE established 1952,he In And hefound time for it. his real love and area of inter-est was puppet theatre. combined seamlessly passion who with pro-fession. Despite his man busy Design life- creative a was He “Puppet ismy first Love” 92, for hiscontribution to thefield of Puppetry. recipient of West Bengal State Akademi Award, 1991- was formed un-der his leadership in 1982. He was the 17

SUTRADHAR permanent space. in south Kolkata.He was always insearch of aschool a Vidyalaya, Sushikhan at seventies early the in stage’ ‘terrace a constructed also PUPPETS’ It was perhaps the first of its kind in the country. ‘THE Shankar Roy Road, Kolkata and named it ‘PUTULPURI’. Kiran 6, at theatre puppet miniature a established he theatre permanent a Kolkatapresent to view a With Rajasthan. Udaipur, in held Festival, Puppet India All first the at merit in second chosen was PUPPETS’ ‘THE 1959 In from theaudience. them-selves and remained behind the curtain- hidden 18 teams – pup-peteermarionette and Bengal rod traditional puppet to perform two took ventures.He these in Puppetry for space found always He respectively. 1987 and 1985 in Leningrad TashkentMoscow,and and Paris in India of Festival of co-designer the also ofIndia puppet of number performancesfirst Festival in a Bengal’the Commonwealth gave Institute. He He was the 1982. of in U.K, in Crafts in held ‘The of pavilion designer exhibition the was He National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. with collaboration in courses conducted and worked immense of education PUPPETS’ ‘THE this, from communication. the Apart and ameans as utilising me-dium to the of of potential view movement the the with spread etc. Vikramshila CRY, (West Bengal), Centre Resource State Pallimangal, Mission LutheranlikeChitrabani,World Ramakrishna Service, programmes reg-ularly for social service organizations training and workshops conducted PUPPETS’ ‘THE teach to workshops puppetry for teachers, social workers,health workers short many designed had He could be used in spreading knowledge and It instruction. communication. and education of fields particular in instruction provide and knowledge for thirst stimulate the innovation, practical for climate a create could pup-petry periodicals, and press the television, radio, Alongside Communi-cation. Development for the of possibilities medium. amazing He felt the that it by could be used struck as a was powerful tool He Pimpaneau from France. Jacques and Genty Philippe Sweden, from Meschke, Michael U.S.A, from Pharlin, Mc Marjorie and Baird like Sergei Obraztsov from Soviet Union, Bill and Cora with ofideas well known puppeteers from western countries, and exchanges contact intimate had often He activities. other puppet and workshops important events, theatre in participated PUPPETS’ ‘THE from India and abroad, an information bank information built by ‘THEPUPPETS’. an was library small abroad, a and theatre puppet concerning and India from puppets regional of collection a guidance his Under norgd y i eprmns e ae puppet a made he experiments his by Encouraged Thereafter hecreated many low-cost animated films. film:a beautiful dream withglove puppets for chil-dren. an animation work.It Hemade Trinka’s Jiri deeply. him with attracted impressed very was and Raghunath Goswami did a lot of research on puppetry Films basedonpuppetry puppet. shadow Indian traditional the from derived style and trend contemporary both of fields the in succeeded had and exploration and experimentation involvedin deeply always was he Instead, shows. public regular He always kept away from the temptation of performing shadow productions. the Sri Ramakrishna’s moral sto-ries) were of some of his some on (based Kathika’ ‘Rama-krishna Master’; ‘Khuror Kal’; ‘Ekti Gaach Chilo’ (The Giving Tree); ‘Ring Sukumar Ray’s -‘Ha-Ja-Ba-Ra-La’, ‘Ramgarurer Chana’, of puppet per-formances. PUPPETS’ produced ‘THE puppets. ditional number a tra- of simplicity the retaining while techniques and materials modern utilising by content, in educational based on contem-porary themes and pre occupations, plays produce to made being Effortsconstantly were us-ing anoverhead projector for shadow plays. started also had He animation. low-cost and animation figure flat silhouettes, like techniques used he research and experimentation much After animation. computer with experimenting shadowalternative and an and films as cartoon puppetto working started he this of form, potential the by Fascinated form. that with worked andno team pup-pet contemporary the non-traditional India to South of theatre only con-fined puppet was of country form ancient most The Experiments with Shadow puppets and Tashkent aspartof there Festival of India. Moscow,Leningradto taken also wereteams puppet traditional two Similarly, 1985. in Paris in On’ Kwok ‘Musee museum the in performed also He Par-is. in and workedand Puppets”.“The with SapnaSen learnt puppetry from RaghunathGoswami 19th on Goswami Raghunath January 1995 was an irreparable of loss to Indian puppetry. away passing The among theteam members by him. wasimbibed ideology This modernity. and tradition between tension the manage and articu-late to him helped understanding His teacher. superb a was He arena of television,film andanimation. arena of prosceniumperformance into the open wide limited the crossed Bengal Westin Pup-petry vision, and efforts,talent Goswami’s Raghunath to Thanks and muppets were done by him. puppets props, of set-ups, making design, production planning, basic ‘Telescope’whose English, in programme a produced (1980), Kolkata Kendra Kolkata; KendraDoordar-shan and Doordarshan action for live graphics using animated programmes 30 of series consisting educational an developed he Kolkata; Kendra, Doordarshan forprogrammes children’sBengaliregular Television also.He was involved in the basic planning for growingthe into RaghunathsteppedGoswami ofworld The Naughty Tiger. for Animated films Educational Satellite Television Short (1974-77)– ; Water Cat; is Life, BlackTail Story, and Swami teachings People on film Im-portant – Fancy, and Fan (1965-72) films Advertising B/W life a 1963, Vivekananda’s in –‘Bhabdhara’ This was thebeginning: Prime Minister’s the won Gold Medal for thebestChildren’s film in1961. . It Vi-joy’ ‘Hattogol film 19

SUTRADHAR 20 21

SUTRADHAR in his career as a puppeteer. Apart from this he has he this from Apart puppeteer. a as career his in even over spilled here started he that children with Little Theatre”.“Childrens workedforcalled work His he organization an to Samudyataby in taken was He music. and dance painting, drawing, design, stage as such as such skills other various in dabbled he after However, shows. puppetryventureonlyhis intowas the from remuneration drew also and performances public gave productions, made professionalwho a as a puppeteer of imagination the essayed He Calcutta. of city the in form art the for rubric cultural a wove troupe his and Datta Suresh beforeby efforts Bengal of pockets isolated in but exist did puppetry period this During field. the to Datta Suresh of contribution the about galores speaks seventies and sixties the in Bengal in puppetry of context the of observation An puppetry. Datta’s Suresh watching up contemporary grown generation has who next puppeteer a is Anurupa otherhand puppeteer. the a on as career his in points turning were which Alladin as such productions the of some in performed has He sevenforyears. him workedwith and 1983 year the in with Da Suresh calls working he who began Datta Suresh Gupta Sudip together. life his of aspects few a piece to attempted have we internet, the on available stubs news some and Delhi) of out based Roycontemporary(aBengal),Anurupa puppeteerof out based puppeteer a (currently Gupta, Sudip student his life.Drawingand conversationwork his the him, on with Academy on material of Natak paucity a Sangeetbe to seems there and Yet, award. Shri Padma him upon rewardedbeen bygovernment the byofIndia bestowing has of puppetry field the to contribution His alive. still is first generation of contemporary puppeteers in India who India. He also happens to be in the only puppeteer from the puppetry contemporary for torchbearer steadfast a became he 90s the in Goswami, Raghunath and Behn Meher of absence the In alike. public the and State the almostfrom Calcutta of in notice the to it moreoverbringing forand scratch the scene a puppetry up workin setting his untiring for him acknowledges article This a Calcutta. in unfoldedpuppetrycareer Bangladesh), in his of part large in (now Bengal undivided of Hutsibari hehas work the done for puppetry in West for Bengal. Born in a place called attention our calls Datta, Suresh 22 5 by Sammitha Sreevathsa Suresh Datta Weaving aCultural Fabric for Puppetry usa ppe tete cne uig hs period this controlled during was authorities byculturalCommunist the scence theatre The 1962. puppet year Russian the in was This Obraztsov. puppeteerSergei known well the under trained he where which performance opened his doors to Puppetry a training in Russia for Kolkata visited troupe puppetry a Russian Children’s Little Theatre, in time his During Kathakali andeven Bharathanatyam. Manipuri, as such danceof formsmany learnt for having quoted popularly is He dance. and he music learnt where University Rabindra of Performing Department the Arts in Shankar Uday with worked also he called “Calcutta Puppet Theatre”. Elaborating on Elaborating Theatre”. Puppet “Calcutta called he to set-up an organization exclusively him for puppetry which encouraging response, audience of a huge amount garnered productions These Kush. Lab and productions as such Alladin, Ali Baba, Begging Mouse Children’s Little Theatre but he started making puppet When Suresh Datta came back to Calcutta he re-joined them.” telling and them to talking are puppets that believe children and puppets through is everything course, Of wrong. going is he where child the tell we stories throughchildren’s theirthen home. And behaviourat their about bring them with chat parents a have we shows, “When for children said have of to quoted medium is the he Express, Indian The for throughinterview an In puppetry. children an among inmaking on impact took hebelieved also and puppetry themes educational his theatre, children’s on very working looked time of lot a it real.”spent Havingand natural show “When his words watch Gupta’s would Sudip audience an in style, of terms In the in hisproductions suchas Ramayana andLab-Kush. adapted he Later,technqiue to suit his own theme and content evident Alladin). Obraztsov’s with similiarities of lot a had AnurupaAlladin to according(which of version own his with Bengal to him with puppetry rod brought Datta Suresh Obraztsov, from he that Sureshtrained careerDatta. technique the Having absorbed his of stage this in was It Juan. Don and Alladin as such watch to spectacular often were and scale in large were that productions making was context, using the rod puppetry technique, Obraztsov a received puppetrystrong support as a and result of balletwhich it flourished. In hand this other the On was close to being vocal prohibited under its obviouslytotalitarian regime. being of nature its of because Russia. This was a time in Russia when actors theatre, fly to to opportunity an Suresh Datta statefound the Bengal West with that CommunistIndia,statea in of being support the with speculate can One world. the of corners Communist various from students of thousands absorbing academy, Puppetry institute a this ran they In Theatre. Puppet State Central the of director artistic the as Obraztsov appointed who a younger generation of puppeteers like Sudip Gupta, restricted to building performances but merely also not in training is field the to contribution his ever How Natak Sangeet and Culture of Akademi further reinforcing itsstatus asanartform. Ministry as such puppetrynoticetothe of stateformal bodies funding brought He productions. build and make to place a as well as performance for place a studio, recording a includes which infrastructure sophisticated a state with receive to also but funding for doing so. Therefore, his institute was built institute puppetry a set up to only Anurupa, not one form. first the was art he that out serious points a to entertainment of thepublic medium casual lifted a being up from CPT, puppetry of perception setting by form art the institutionalize to ability his with along puppetry his popular.”that become to ofqualityforit reasons The the of one is which quality good verywas it because but times 3000 played was it because not was times 3000 played Alladin why reason The impeccable. puppetry is rod in technique “His for says She support puppetry. gathered that performance persistent his just not was it Anurupa, to according However, few other with along popular productions like Rama and performed Sita and Lab-Kush. be and it to platforms continues international on as well as locally performedbeen overhas alone three times thousand Alladin production his article the of beginning the in which the trickling audience multiplied. As mentioned unfailingly performing shows every week as a result of in Calcutta. He worked persistently on this decision, by helped him pull puppetry into the popular imagination good name as a stage designer.” It is this a decision that himself earned already had he since difficulty and as a puppeteer came with a certain amount of dilemma to set up an exclusive puppetry organization and grow decision this But productions. his in performing him, Bhavanilatejoined wifeDevi his dream, towards this more become givenseparatebe a toplace. In his had it workvisible to were puppetry if that felt he and puppeteer a as grow specially to wanted Da Suresh but theatre dance, music, like happening activities of lot a have to used beforeworked he whereTheatre, this phase of his life Sudip Gupta says “Children’s Little 23

SUTRADHAR setting up of Calcutta Puppet Theatre. with eventuallythe Obrastzav adulthood underand with training the his in circle full a came experience childhood early an as a started what education, formal having not despite So, observe”. and him to next sit would Da Suresh form, and shape it give to clay his village hismain the moulded in he When idols. clay make that to used maker who an idol says “He from came inspiration mentioned, often Datta Suresh that inspiration the about talks Gupta Sudip Though Obrastzov was his formal teacher in puppetry, understand therole of timeandspace inpuppetry.” must puppeteer a out come two these make to but magic, and poetry of combination a is puppetry that say would He enthusiasm. same the has he 85, is he workingtirelessly through night. the Even now, when all continue would he would and day a of We end the at enthusiastic. tired get really was he that could “One say says Gupta Sudip was, he that teacher of kind the About adults. puppetry and children to offering workshops country career the his across of traversed course he the During puppetry.” rod in especiallyhold, Northtrainedin people India,Easthe stronga says “EverywhereShehad India. Bengal that in puppeteers contemporary of generation younger among technique puppetry rod popularizing for him who continue to work in Ghosh West SanjitBengal. Anurupa and credits Ghosh Sanchit Brothers, Lucknow 24 indian_puppeteer.htm •http://www.indianetzone.com/30/suresh_Datta_ master-puppets.html theatre in •http://www.deccanherald.com/content/396973/ reader A practice. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Puppetry: Penny. •Francis, Bibliography 25

SUTRADHAR Notice Board

Puppet Schools and courses around the world http://www.sagecraft.com/puppetry/schools/index.html

Museum of Puppetry and Puppetry collections across the world http://www.sagecraft.com/puppetry/exhibits/

Researchers-in-Residence , programs for puppetry. Deutches Forum for puppet theatre in Bochum-Germany http://www.fidena.de/root/researcher-in-residence/mn_55

Sangeet Natak Akademi http://www.sangeetnatak.org

The Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts www.ignca.nic.in

For further details contact: [email protected] | [email protected] | [email protected]

Photo credits : Sangeet Natak Akademi, http://livenews.co.nz/2015/09/22/diwali-2015-the-international-acts/ http://www.vpuppets.com/aboutme.php Sampa Ghosh, Mansingh Zala WEPA