<p>His canvas is the projector screen and with deft movements of his hands he tries to tell a story.<br /><br /></p>.<p> The young puppeteer Anand Kumar takes great pains to make the visitor understand how shadow puppetry works through magnification of miniature props and movement of hands across a projector.<br /><br /> That’s only a glimpse of the exhibition, ‘Dissolving Boundaries - The Journey Of Puppetry’, tracing the journey of puppetry from traditional forms to the present day mediums. Showcasing an array of puppets, including string, shadow, muppets, bunraku, masks and more, the exhibition rekindles the child in you.<br /><br />Metrolife explored this journey with two young Delhi-based puppeteers, Anand Kumar and Umesh Kumar. Walking us through the gallery, Umesh points out, “There’s a huge difference between the traditional puppets and the contemporary ones. The first segment has stringed puppets that belong to traditional forms, and displayed beside them are Mohammed Shameem’s puppets stringed through a cross.<br /><br /> It’s a little difficult to manipulate this cross on stage but it helps in increasing the movements of a puppet.” One sweeping glance across the traditional segment makes you reconnect with characters such as jadugar, ghursawar, talwarwala pathan and many such fantastical characters our folklores dwell upon. <br /><br />Showing a stark contradiction in form stand Varun Narain’s Duster and Chameli, a quaint-looking pair of rod-based puppets. The description says the ‘puppeteer loves to look for life in objects and objects in life’, thus blurring the boundaries of nationalities and gender.<br /><br /> Taking a look at glove puppets, muppets, pop-up book and shadow puppets, one feels creatively satiated. It is an indulging experience that entices not just children but grown-ups as well. The two young puppeteers concur, “Gone are those days when puppetry was seen as a medium of entertainment for children. <br /><br />Our audience these days comprises a large number of parents wanting to tag along for the shows.” <br /><br />Anand goes on to add, “We try and perform non-verbal shows. Shabdon ko rok dete hain,visually strong performance ke liye. Making our show unique for all generations is our challenge,” says the zestful puppeteer. <br /><br />For taking this flight of fancy through the world of puppetry, visit this exhibition which is on till December 20 in the Kamladevi Complex at India International Centre. <br /></p>
<p>His canvas is the projector screen and with deft movements of his hands he tries to tell a story.<br /><br /></p>.<p> The young puppeteer Anand Kumar takes great pains to make the visitor understand how shadow puppetry works through magnification of miniature props and movement of hands across a projector.<br /><br /> That’s only a glimpse of the exhibition, ‘Dissolving Boundaries - The Journey Of Puppetry’, tracing the journey of puppetry from traditional forms to the present day mediums. Showcasing an array of puppets, including string, shadow, muppets, bunraku, masks and more, the exhibition rekindles the child in you.<br /><br />Metrolife explored this journey with two young Delhi-based puppeteers, Anand Kumar and Umesh Kumar. Walking us through the gallery, Umesh points out, “There’s a huge difference between the traditional puppets and the contemporary ones. The first segment has stringed puppets that belong to traditional forms, and displayed beside them are Mohammed Shameem’s puppets stringed through a cross.<br /><br /> It’s a little difficult to manipulate this cross on stage but it helps in increasing the movements of a puppet.” One sweeping glance across the traditional segment makes you reconnect with characters such as jadugar, ghursawar, talwarwala pathan and many such fantastical characters our folklores dwell upon. <br /><br />Showing a stark contradiction in form stand Varun Narain’s Duster and Chameli, a quaint-looking pair of rod-based puppets. The description says the ‘puppeteer loves to look for life in objects and objects in life’, thus blurring the boundaries of nationalities and gender.<br /><br /> Taking a look at glove puppets, muppets, pop-up book and shadow puppets, one feels creatively satiated. It is an indulging experience that entices not just children but grown-ups as well. The two young puppeteers concur, “Gone are those days when puppetry was seen as a medium of entertainment for children. <br /><br />Our audience these days comprises a large number of parents wanting to tag along for the shows.” <br /><br />Anand goes on to add, “We try and perform non-verbal shows. Shabdon ko rok dete hain,visually strong performance ke liye. Making our show unique for all generations is our challenge,” says the zestful puppeteer. <br /><br />For taking this flight of fancy through the world of puppetry, visit this exhibition which is on till December 20 in the Kamladevi Complex at India International Centre. <br /></p>
