Great Indians in developing Educational Puppetry
Today, application of this medium has been received well across the globe in addressing various socio-political issues and bringing awareness.
In India, Meher Contractor basically from Ahmednagar, Gujurat, India is acclaimed as the mother of modern educational puppetry. She brought the technique of making simple puppets using best available materials and materials considered as waste. Again, the application of puppetry in schools and handling school syllabus through puppets.
Then it is Mrs. Welthy Fisher, an elderly American philanthropist who built the Literacy House in Lucknow in 1956 at the age of 76 or so and started a hand puppet troupe that would travel to villages to perform shows for illiterate adults into order to encourage them to learn to read. She took up issues related health and presented puppet shows on “Small Pox Vaccination”, “Women Education” and “Family Planning”.
The renowned puppeteer of Karnataka, Sri Dattatreya Aralikatte who performs in traditional way using heavy wooden marionette with loops and strings attached. who adapted the Western Style of hand puppets to address family planning issues. Who also narrates the epic suiting to modern time and context and appealing to the present generation.
Comments
Nice to know about the use of Puppets.
Ridhima
Regards
Sphoorthi
www.sphoorthithetare.com