There isn’t anyone who hasn’t played with puppets (remember the doll that you used to deck up and play mom, or the robot who you made fight aliens when little?) Puppets influence our childhood in a way we can never fathom. Two puppeteers understood this power puppets possessed and undertook a journey that led them to harness this unique power for the cause of education and childhood.
Hashim Haider and Sangya Ojha, began their puppetry careers in 2005 as puppeteers for Sesame Street India aka Galli Galli Sim Sim (the famous kids’ show on air Cartoon Network and POGO). Sangya played Aanchoo and Elmo- the famous international puppet character. Hashim played the famous Bollywood Dude and an array of other characters in Galli Galli Sim Sim. Playing in Sesame Street for six years and understanding how puppet characters can propagate early childhood education and influence children in a way unparallel, these two talented puppeteers started a unique brand of puppet edutainment and called it ‘The Puppetarians’. The Puppetarians is a one-of-its-kind puppet design and performance company that creates unique, loveable puppet characters, generates entertaining educational content based on life-skills, organises shows with puppets employing story-telling, music, dance and games; conducts puppet-making and puppetry technique workshops for both children and adults; and collaborates with schools/activity clubs/story-telling clubs/artist hubs – practically any place where there’s an audience.
The Puppetarians also conduct ‘Use of Puppets in Classroom teaching’ workshops as their Teachers’ Training Program. “The fact that teachers are using finger-puppets etc in their day-to-day classroom teaching is very encouraging. But the teachers must use puppets more imaginatively, making best use of the potential puppets have. A basic training in puppetry skills, voice modulation and story building will help teachers a lot. Teachers shouldn’t just use puppets because they are asked to. Puppets should be used to create a world where the children feel welcomed to have fun and interact with the characters as their friends. Learning will happen by default! â€_x009d_ stresses Sangya.
“Our vision is to create such lovable characters that help the children in India to learn with fun, and communicate their fears, hopes and dreams without inhibition as we’ve seen kids talk to a puppet more freely than us humans. We have had parents come and tell us after our shows that they are surprised to see their otherwise shy and reticent child reacting to the story and the puppet characters like never before. And therein lay our success. Let’s Play Puppets!â€_x009d_
Here are a few videos that will explain to you what we are talking about
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANAlFGG9UX0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj51IOS9MkU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR4_-dgSE7c
Visit their Facebook page here
Contact: thepuppetarians@gmail.com
Mobile: +91 7666757497/ 9967862861
Website: www.thepuppetarians.com
KSP Team
Parul Gupta
Janani S Koushik
