Puppetry shows to narrate tales of various govt projects on International Puppet Theatre Day
Kolkata: Subho Joardar, a septuagenarian and a retired Central government employee from South 24-Parganas' Baruipur along with his troupe will present shows at Rabindra Sadan to mark the International Puppet Theatre Day on March 21.
The septuagenarian who has been carrying forward the legacy of puppetry, one of the country's oldest art forms, through the show will present a narrative which would perhaps be the quintessential depictions of various state government projects including the Kanyashree, a brainchild of the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Joardar has not only mastered the art of puppetry but also train youths regarding the old form of art that originated in Bengal a few thousand years ago. This year, the Banga Putul Gosthi with Joardar at the helm will organise shows at the city's heartland on March 23 showcasing various state government projects which have helped thousands of people in Bengal in improving their socio-economic conditions. One of the projects that deserve mention is the Kanyashree scheme that has brought international acclaim to the Mamata Banerjee government.
The programme would possibly be the most consequential highlights of many other projects as well. Puppetry is practised all over the world where a drama is enacted by specific representational objects which are manipulated by a puppeteer.
"We will organise many shows each having a duration of 60-80 minutes where many social themes would be highlighted. It would feature the state government schemes on the eradication of illiteracy, sanitisation programmes and development schemes at panchayat levels undertaken by the state government. The famous Kanyashree scheme will also find representations during the event," said Joardar.
He further added: "The art of puppetry originated in Bengal mainly in the Rarh regions and artisans used to spread the art not only to rest of the country but also internationally. It originated and thrived a few thousand years ago and evolved with the passing of time. It had been well documented in the history that the puppet artists from Bengal used to visit Egypt from Tamralipta/Tamralipti, an ancient port located on the Bay of Bengal via Lothal one of the southernmost cities of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation.
Joardar who had obtained his degree from the National School of Drama finds immense pleasure in training youths on how to build toys and how to operate the toys during the shows. There are many other troupes working in the field, but his organisation has also devoted to the research works besides the performances.
