Anupama Hoskere and her team at Dhaatu Puppets are among the few artistes who have been attempting to revive the dying art of puppetry. This weekend, they join hands with VR Bengaluru for the Dhaatu Puppet Festival, a two-day event. And we can’t wait to soak up all the creativity and culture that will be showcased at this event dedicated to the Karnataka art form.
With a promise to be visually alluring and also mentally engaging, the festival is expected to stage eight shows across the two days. Each show is 25 minutes long and is based on ancient Indian epics. Besides the shows, puppet parades and storytelling sessions will also be held at the venue.
In between shows and sessions, one can visit the exhibition area where the organisers will put up installations of traditional puppets from countries like Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Egypt, Belgium, Turkey, Bulgaria, Burma, Czech Republic, Spain, German, England and the USA, besides India.
If you’re interested to try your hand at puppet making, sign up for one of the workshops. There, you will be taught to make string, glove, shadow and rod puppets, which you can take home. You will also learn to sing puppet songs. Go for a spot of shopping at the vibrant puppet bazaar to make things more interesting.
June 15 & 16. At Whitefield