THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Now, learn to appreciate classical Indian music through Indo-German puppetry.
An Indo-German puppet-music-theatre project brings together western and Indian artistes to help children learn to enjoy the beauty of Indian classical music. Premiered in Hamburg on October 21, 2011, the show ‘Sanjay and His Master’ will be staged at the Co-Bank Towers on Friday.
The show is directed by Dadi Pudumjee. Puppetry is by Matthias Kuchta, Subroto Roy Chowdhury will be on the sitar, Anjan Saha on sitar/vocal and Swapan Bhattacharya on the tabla. The show is produced by Stephan V Lowis of Menar, KinderKinder.
The story is loosely based on a Buddhist tale and is about determining your place in the world. The hero, Sanjay, leaves home to pursue a career in music. He reaches a marketplace, where he thrums his sitar. Instead of money, he gets tomatoes on his face.
Dejected, he goes to the court musician Rajad to train and falls in love with his daughter. Sanjay also improves as a musician, but the king doesn’t want two court musicians and Sanjay has to compete with his guru.
Matthias Kuchta wanted to become a teacher, but later he attended the puppet theatre college at Bochum and brought out ‘The Bremen Town Musicians,’ his first production, in 1982.
Dadi Pudumjee studied at the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts (puppetry section), at the National Institute of Design and later at the Marionette Theatre Institute in Stockholm. In 1986, he set up his own puppet company, the Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust.