Pulling The Strings

At 66, globally acclaimed puppeteer Dadi Pudumjee continues to not only entertain and educate audiences across the world through his puppets but also remains persistent in his mission to institutionalize puppetry in India.

- Huned Contractor

It would seem like child’s play. But, rest assured, puppetry is certainly not that easy as it seems. And Dadi Pudumjee, now 66 years old, explains why it cannot be. “It takes years of practice to get the art right. In my case, I have devoted my entire life to it,” he says. Dadi is not only internationally renowned for his work in the field of puppet theatre but is also the beacon for the annual International Puppet Theatre Festival that was first held in 2001. Since then, theatres from 90 countries have participated in the festival and as Dadi tells us, “Each year, interest in the festival grows”, and each year consistently, the festival has brought puppeteers, artists and performers from around the globe together to celebrate storytelling through the puppetry arts.

Dadi Pudumjee, born 1951, trained under legendary puppetry artist Meher Contractor, was a guest student at Marionette Theatre Institute in Stockholm under Michael Meschke, where he also participated in workshops run by Minosuke Yoshida of the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka, Japan. He is the founder of the cross-cultural company, The Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust (IPTT), New Delhi, where he works as director, designer and puppeteer, collaborating with puppeteers, actors and dancers, both traditional and modern. His work spans multiple cultural traditions – from India and beyond, especially countries of the East. IPTT has trained and continues to train and offer workshops in puppet theatre to youth and adults with an equal focus on social causes and entertainment.