Anupama Elevates Puppets at Mandala!

22 Oct 2023

Anupama Elevates Puppets at Mandala!

Recommended for Performance Arts

In the vibrant setting of Mandala Cultural Centre, master puppeteer Anupama Hoskere is revitalizing the ancient art of puppetry. She blends traditional charm with contemporary appeal.

Puppets, a narrative medium with roots reaching deep into the annals of history, are experiencing a renaissance. This resurgence is thanks to Anupama’s tender care and unyielding passion. With a mission to breathe life back into this mesmerizing art form, Mandala Cultural Centre unfurls a canvas where puppetry and dolls narrate tales as ancient as time and as universal as humanity.

Key Facts

Anupama is an adept puppeteer and a Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee. She is also the founder-director of the 19-year-old Dhaatu Puppet Theater. Puppets and dolls have not only embellished Anupama’s artistic journey but also enriched the cultural fabric of Mandala.
Mandala is a sanctuary for puppet enthusiasts. It hosts a collection of over 15,000 dolls. This includes those with a heritage spanning four generations, and puppets from across the globe.
The centre’s infrastructure mirrors the classical essence embodied in puppetry. It is adorned with a kalyani and surrounded by trees reminiscent of the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Each puppet, a masterpiece, weaves together the legacy of distinct cultures and artistic expressions. Thus offering visitors a gateway to the universe where stories unfold through silent expressions and graceful movements.
Anupama’s efforts underscore a pivotal reawakening of interest in puppets and puppetry. Puppets, once relegated to the shadows of cultural expressions, are now gracing the limelight, thanks in no small part to her tireless endeavors.
Through her international accolades, Anupama has preserved an art form. She has also established a sanctuary for puppetry at Mandala, infusing it with vigor and making it accessible to contemporary audiences.
Urban India, previously distant from the puppetry tradition, is witnessing a resurgence of interest. Puppets, with their silent eloquence and narrative prowess, are transcending temporal and spatial barriers to narrate tales that are at once ancient yet contemporary, local yet universal.

Final Thoughts

Mandala Cultural Centre stands as a testament to the unwavering spirit of artists like Anupama, who brave the currents of time to salvage, nurture, and propagate art forms like puppetry.

Puppets, in this renewed avatar, are not mere strings and wood but voices echoing the rich, diverse, and intricate tapestry of human experience and expression. They are silent narrators, weaving tales that bridge the chasms between generations, cultures, and civilizations.

As we delve into the enchanting world where puppets spring to life at Mandala, we are reminded of the enduring power of art – its ability to transcend time, narrate the unspoken, and unite souls in the universal dance of expression and understanding.

In the hands of maestros like Anupama, puppets are not just artifacts of an ancient tradition but are vibrant, dynamic heralds of a narrative tradition unbound by time, space, or language.