Hands-on Puppet Workshops and Cultural Festivals
At our Mandala Cultural Centre, we open up the world of traditional puppetry through hands-on workshops and seasonal festivals for kids and adults. Come learn the craft, explore our museum, and experience the stories behind the puppets.
A hand-drawn invitation to our Dhaatu Puppet Santhe. This one-day festival is all about community and hands-on experience, featuring museum tours, puppet shows, and a 'karyagara' or workshop where you can make your very own puppet to take home.
A glimpse of a home puppet theatre setup from our 'Panchatantram' series. At our Puppet Santhe, you can visit our workshop and learn how to create your own theatre at home to tell stories.
An announcement for the one-day Dhaatu Puppet Santhe, a festival in collaboration with Mandala Bengaluru. It's a day filled with puppet shows, artist interactions, museum tours, and workshops.
A newspaper article highlighting our Puppet Santhe. The festival is designed to celebrate India's rich puppetry tradition through guided museum tours and puppet-making workshops.
We invite you to register for our Rod Puppet Making Workshop with renowned master puppeteer Dr. Subho Joardar. This is a 'make and take' workshop where participants create their own puppet and learn to put up a short play.
A poster for the Dhaatu Children's Puppet Festival, an event designed exclusively for schools. Each slot includes the 'Mooshikaa Katha' puppet show and an interactive session for students.
About this collection
If you want to dive deep into the craft, join us for our Dhaatu Puppet Santhe. It is not just a show, as you actually get to sit down at our karyagara (workshop) and craft your own puppet. We provide all the materials, and you get to take your handmade creation home.
Our workshops are designed to make traditional art accessible. Whether you are a parent looking for meaningful weekend activities or an adult interested in learning a new skill, we have something for you. Our make-and-take sessions, such as our Rod Puppet Making workshops, are led by experienced puppeteers who guide you through the process, from assembling the puppet to learning basic movements.
We also host larger events like the Dhaatu Children's Puppet Festival, which is a hit with local schools. These events include interactive shows like Mooshikaa Katha and guided tours of our puppet museum. The museum itself is a curated space where you can see puppets from across India and the globe.
Everything happens at our Mandala Cultural Centre near the Silk Institute Metro station on Kanakapura Road. Some of our workshops, especially during festival seasons, fill up fast, so we recommend checking our schedule and registering in advance. We keep our groups small to ensure everyone gets enough attention. If you are bringing a group or school class, call us to check availability and plan your visit.
Dhaatu Puppet Theater
Anupama here. My family and I started Dhaatu to keep the magic of Indian epics alive through puppetry. When we run these workshops, my goal is for you to not just watch, but to feel the tradition in your own hands.
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