Children's Programme : Shadow Puppet Show
'Dharma Yuddham'
Shadow Puppet shows since time immemorable have been presenting tales and stories from the epics. As a way to rejuvenate the traditional repertoire by infusing the content with new themes of contemporary relevance, the Indira Gandhi National centre for the Arts has been endeavouring over the years to motivate the traditional puppeteers to interpret Mahatma Gandhi’s messages of truth, non-violence, removal of social inequality and communal harmony using their own traditional skills.
The theme for the shadow play on Gandhi revolved round the story of Stayagraha. Narrated by the clown Uccikudumpan to the assembled children the incidents included episodes from South Africa, Champaran and Kerala.
These shows were presented at the Delhi Tamil Sangam, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, Kerala School, Kanakadurga slum and Salam Balak Trust and IGNCA. The audience for the shows included Tamilians of Delhi, eminent Gandhians, students, slum dwellers and street children.
