Festival on puppetry as an art form sends message to society

I am madly in love with puppetry and I also understand the use of puppetry for society: Festival director Anupama Hoskere

Lakshmi Prasad | NT

Bengaluru: Dhaatu International Puppet Festival 2023 is going to be held in Mandala Cultural Centre, Bengaluru from January 6, 7 and 8. There are ten events scheduled to be held over the next three days.

Events are to be held at the Glasshouse and Vasantavana situated inside Mandala Cultural Centre, and the range includes shadow puppet shows, string puppet shows, rod puppet shows, and Yakshagana puppet shows. Artists from all over India are performing at the festival, including from Kasaragod, Kolkata, Kerala, Telangana, and many other states are showcasing their talent.

Not just puppeteers from India but artists from the Austrian Theater are also here to perform and showcase their artistic mastery. The duration of each puppet show varies between 35 minutes at the least and up to 130 minutes. Dhaatu International Puppet Festival began in 2009 and till date they have conducted multiple shows.

The journey of Dhaatu is just remarkable. What began as a street-level festival became a national festival and then an international festival. With a team of ten, and eight active members, Dhaatu is yet again delivering this stunning festival for residents. Moreover, Dhaatu has developed a tremendous association with the Austrian Embassy.

“A few years ago our Navaratri, foreigners visited us to watch Spain's storytelling. The Austrian Ambassador happened to know about it and visited us. And then we discussed and she liked what she saw, and she said she would involve her country’s team. We have since then developed a friendship,” informed Anupama Hoskere, director of the festival.  

“I am madly in love with puppetry; I also understand the use of puppetry for society. I understand what a wonderful art form it is. I spoke to many people and I realized that everybody likes it, but nobody gets to see it because it’s not being showcased,” she added.

“I'm always looking to ensure everything is alright and everybody's happy and taken care of during the festival. I am apologizing for any mistakes which might happen. I have gratitude more than pride towards the participating artists, as well as the visitors for their encouragement”, concluded Anupama.