BENGALURU: On Thursday evening, at around 4.30pm, puppeteer Anupama Hoskere got a call from the Home Minister’s office. “The lady on the other end simply said, ‘You have been nominated for the Padma Shri award, do you accept it?’ I calmly replied, ‘Yes, of course!’ I felt it was a bit of a funny call and didn’t think it was for real,” says Hoskere, adding, “Then she suddenly exclaimed, ‘Hearty congratulations!’ and confirmed my official address and mentioned that they would officially notify me. That’s when it hit me that it could be true,” Hoskere says.
News like this takes some time to sink in as was the case with Hoskere who finds this ‘unimaginable’. “I was extremely happy, but I was also puzzled. Later on in the night, the list was officially released and
I found my name on it. I am thrilled,” says Hoskere, who has got a sudden spurt in spirits after being under the weather recently.
Having always been passionate about the concept of storytelling, Hoskere got into it through visual arts, with puppetry being an integral part of it. A traditional Indian artform, Hoskere felt it was her responsibility to pass on the tradition to the next generation.
“Growing up in Basavanagudi, I was always exposed to local culture, festivals, and the mythology attached to each of them. I was extremely intrigued by them too,” says Hoskere, who founded Dhaatu, a puppet theatre and culture education centre, in 2004.
An engineer with a Master’s degree, Hoskere had always imagined taking the beaten route. But life had other plans and she ended up giving up those dreams for something much bigger. “I didn’t know how much the world of puppetry encompassed. I found a lot of value in our epics and saw the beauty and potential in puppetry. Both these passions came together with Dhaatu. I was so involved that nothing else really existed for me,” she says.
For Hoskere, puppetry has become a way to bond with people from all over India and worldwide, Europe in particular. Hoskere, who has not celebrated yet, is going to get together with the arts and crafts fraternity in the city. “There’s a small luncheon at Mandala Cultural Centre on Kanakapura Road, with friends who supported me on this journey,” she signs off.