User:Bhadra2018/Reviving a Dying Art of Puppetry in Andhra Pradesh

Association for the Promotion of Puppetry in Andhra Pradesh (APPA) Contributing to Revive a Dying Art of Puppetry in Andhra Pradesh

What we are ? & What we Do

Association for the Promotion of Puppetry in Andhra Pradesh (APPA), an NGO was formed in 1986 to re-establish puppetry as a time tested and ancient mode of mass communication and a tool of behavior change. With a full time Director supported by a team of trained staff including a Technical Director, it is well equipped to accept challenge of planning, producing and executing Giant Puppets for infotainment at 17th International Children’s Film Festival – 2011. Ms. Madhavi Latha Ganji is associated with APPA as its Secretary and Technical Director. She is a fellow of Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi. She received a fellowship to work on ‘Use of Puppetry in Education’. She is presently pursuing her PhD, working on her dissertation entitled ‘Bommalata Aduhnika Vinimayam‘ under guidance of Prof. N.Bhakthavathsala Reddy who is HOD of the Department of Comparative Dravidian Literature and Philosophy, Potti Sriramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad. Under the able guidance of Madhavilatha, APPA endeavors to bridge the gap between Puppetry as a traditional art form and Puppetry as a medium of communication by devising ways and means to adopt the art of puppetry to cater the needs of modern usage. APPA is staffed with technician Devadas and art director Poduri Ravi. J.V Eswari renders services in her capacity as accountant. Number of resource persons are collaborating with APPA from time to time.

Place of Puppetry in Indian Cultural Traditions

History of puppetry in India dates back to fifth century BC. The traditional puppetry was based on religious and historical themes woven around stories of kings, gods and super natural events. Religious portrayals in puppetry developed mainly in South India with shadow puppets performing stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata. Indian puppetry has also conveyed socially relevant messages from Panchatantra, mythological traditions, history and epics. Puppetry can easily be employed as a powerful infotainment medium

Puppetry has all along been playing an important role as a medium of education from times immemorial. It has been used a tool for disseminating knowledge in almost all parts of the world, thus all cultures domesticated the art of puppetry. In India, it has been extensively used as a traditional and a popular medium to convey ethos, knowledge and values of Indian mythological legends, historical facts and for sundry educational reasons. In different forms, puppets appeal to both old and young alike. Puppets are both entertaining and captivating. Children can believe and relate to them; they can enter, be part of, and explore the fascinating inventive world that puppets create.

What is Educational Puppetry ?

Puppets can stimulate children’s imagination, encourage creative play and discover themselves in a new way. They are also a wonderful medium of interactive teaching to introduce narrative to even the most reluctant reader/listener. They can be a powerful way of bringing story time to life. Puppets can provide a focus for role play by encouraging the child’s imagination and involvement in activities and can play a fundamental part in the recitation of stories and verse.

Puppets can also assist children with special educational needs. They can motivate and support children with difficulties in communication and interaction. They can also help to develop their social and motor skills and can even meet the visual, tactile and emotional needs of each individual child.

Research shows that, exposed to puppetry, nearly all the children become highly engaged and involved in the lesson. A puppet can encourage the quietest of children to start talking. Puppets can break down barriers and provide an effective means to initiate communication. The child trusts and doesn’t feel threatened the puppet as they are a perfect neutral medium through which sensitive issues can be shared and discussed. A child can express thoughts, as in case of impersonation, fears and feelings through a puppet that they might otherwise find difficult to voice to an adult.

What we Do ?

APPA emphasizes puppetry for education at all levels including adult literacy. It organized several workshops for teachers in Andhra Pradesh. Also designs dedicated kits on requirement to meet the needs of various stakeholders as per the curriculum.

Teacher’s workshop

APPA, from time to time in the state of Andhra Pradesh and also first time in India, organised workshops for teachers on “How to be a Successful teacher through puppetry” A workshop was organized for 35 teachers each at  Tirupati., Kurnool and Ongole districts of Andhra Pradesh. The participant teachers as well the district officials appreciated the use and impact of puppetry. APPA has the pride of being invited by UNICEF & SSA to hold a workshop for the teachers.

APPA organized workshops for Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), Department of Education, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. The training lasted for 40 days, where in 218 teachers from 23 districts in Andhra Pradesh.

APPA has been the sheet anchor in organizing and conducting training programs for CCRT, on the subject of "Role of Puppetry in Education, for teachers coming all over from India and emerged as key resource base in Educational Puppetry.

Puppetry Kits and School Arts &Craft KITS

APPA has designed and supplied Puppet Kits to the Govt. Schools in all districts of Andhra Pradesh and also trained the teachers in the use of puppetry as an education medium.

As part of our action plan, we developed with our in-house R&D, the effective methods in creating different tools at the level of early child education of nursery, pre school, L.K.G., U.K.G levels and early 1, 2, 3 class levels.

Festivals

APPA, supported by Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi, organized a National Puppet Festival in March, 1986 and a Seminar on Educational Puppetry for Young Teachers. On this occasion, APPA brought out a compilation of the research works related to Puppetry in the state of Andhra Pradesh. This festival in which teachers participated has been designed to expose puppetry as a classroom tool, and create a platform to exchange ideas between traditional and contemporary components of puppetry.

APPA organized Bommalata – 2005. This National Convention on Puppetry, showcasing Puppetry in Education. In this 3-day National program, different puppeteers participated from all over India.

APPA also organized Bommalata Utsav 2008 in collaboration with Telugu University and Sangeeta Natak Akedemy, New Delhi. It is a Festival of Puppet Traditions of Andhra Pradesh wherein more than 600 traditional leather puppeteers participated from all over Andhra Pradesh.

Recently APPA under the aegis of Government of India, Ministry of Culture, organised a two day festival in the name of Goutami Leather Puppetry Festival in Kakinada, East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, India where it showcased the four centuries age old art of Leather Puppetry which is having a unique feautres. On two days thousands of commons attended suggesting that the art of puppetry still has life in it to get revived and also the public is with the spirit of honoring that art. The festival was inaugurated by Shri Sitaram Yechury, Member of Parliament, in his capacity of Chairman, Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Tourism, Transport and Culture, as chief guest on January 24th 2012.

Workshops for NGO’s APPA has successfully organized several workshops for different NGO’S on varied themes including using Puppetry for Communicating Messages on Sexual and Reproductive Health of Young people, at various centers in INDIA. Along the same lines, APPA also developed, trained and organized, on social concerns like Child marriage, human trafficking, atrocities on women, Girl Child, Anti dowry, HIV, Sale of Girl child, Female infanticide, Child labor, Illegal marriage, Domestic violence Etc.., These puppet shows were organized at sensitive areas of Vikarabad, Thandur, Pargi Mandals of Ranga Reddy District and also organized at Nalgonda, Mahaboobnaga Medak and Nizamabad Districts.

APPA has associated in production of State Theme song titled “Harithandram Yeppatiki” produced by Information and Public Relation Department, Government of AndhraPradesh.

APPA also associated with JJ Desk, Navajeevan and Government of AndhraPradesh. As a mark of recognition, Government of Andhra Pradesh appointed Ms. Madhavilatha Secretary of APPA as Councilor for Juvenile homes of Hyderabad, where in children are trained in puppets and values taught for their joyful learning and bringing out their creative hidden talents.

APPA is also involved in training adolescent girls in lace cutting and Tailoring, PPT, Maggam( Operating weaving tool) Work, Embroidery, in different areas and also providing suitable placements in their respective fields.

APPA has held and provided puppetry kits to different NGO’s, besides conducting puppetry shows on Child Marriages titled BommalaPelli, Gutakatho Gutuk, Malli Pelli and other social issues. The shows attracted large audience of all age groups. APPA is willing to lend a helping hand in organizing workshops even for the purpose of promoting and generating awareness in the Art of Puppetry. All these workshops are tailored to both – to meet specific needs as well as the need of meeting the cultural requirements of the art form.

Puppetry Workshop for Children Puppetry has been recognized as one of the most effective modes of bringing out the best of the imaginative and creative faculties of a child. What operates in puppet theatre is a truly multimedia environment - drawing, painting, moulding, sculpting, dress designing, embroidery, make-up, scripting, story telling, voice modulation, singing, music, dance, and of course, manipulating the puppets. Puppetry can be termed as generational prequel to documentary and full scale film. Participating in  even  a few of these activities, from conception to execution and performance, is bound to push children  few steps forward in terms of  creative confidence and coordination abilities.

Puppetry Workshop for Conservation of Energy in Singareni Collieries APPA has been invited to organize workshop for the women members of Singareni Collieries Seva Samiti under the theme of Conservation of Energy. We organized a series of workshops covering the whole of Singareni Collieries. Nearly 1000 members took part in those workshops. We have designed special puppets to cater idea of promoting the conversation of energy. We designed themes separately to generate the awareness among the housewives of Singareni Collieries by dealing with how to save gas, power, water and other basic domestic areas which are energy intensive.

Puppetry Workshop for Children at 17th International Children Film Festival, Hyderabad As part of Golden Elephant 17th International Children Film Festival, Association for the promotion of Puppetry in Andhra Pradesh organized a five day workshop for the children at Shilparamam where in 200 children participated. Every day children were divided into groups and they were introduced to different types of puppets and motivated to write their own scripts and dialogues and to prepare own puppets for performance. Each day the work shop ended in children presenting their own shows. During the five days of the event 25 story lines were developed under five separate themes and accordingly the shows were performed by the participant children.