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Man of an Ass: ಗಾರ್ದಭ ಮನುಷ್ಯ ಪ್ರಕರಣಂ
Leather shadow puppet play in Kannada for ages 6 and up
Puppeteer
A childless washer man treats his beast of burden – the ass like his own child. Convinced by the argument of a scholarly Maulvi that it is possible to turn the ass in to a man, the washer man surrenders the ass along with some money to the Maulvi. After six months the washer man goes with his wife to see the Maulvi with great hope. The Maulvi tells them that their son now has become a ‘khaji’ (a judge) in the city of Varanasi.
The couple rush to the city in order to see their son. Has the ass become a judge? How does the judge treat his parents? What kind of lesson do they learn from the man-ass or the ass-man? This is a revealing, curious story. A dramatised version of this story is being performed by leather puppets.
The performance by the leather puppets is effective as children enjoy a curious and unexpected story while adults can take away a meaningful experience and intellectual awareness through the story’s commentary on the contemporary world.
In collaboration with Gombe Mane (Puppet House), Dharwad.
Puppeteer
Rajani Garud
Rajani Garud is from a village Kerekai, Sirsi of North Canara. She completed her degree in Theatre education at NINASAM. She settled at Dharwad and she is founder member of Balabalaga Srujanasheela Shikshana Trust in 1996. She is engaged in alternative educational activities and Theatre for Education programmes. She had a background of ‘Yakshagana’ a traditional folk Performing Art.
She is a founder member of Puppet House (Gombe Mane) and is an expert puppet maker and puppeteer. She has directed several plays and puppet shows for children. She has worked in NINASAM’s Tirugata Drama repertory company as an actor. She has also conducted many children’s theatre camps and has directed more than 25 plays namely Bepputakkadi Bholeshankar, Bettappana Kanasu, Kailagada Maigallanige, Buddha Helida Kathe, Hakki Haadu etc.
She has played the lead role in several plays like Cherry Orchard, Good Woman of Setzuvan, Othello, Hamlet, Bettale Vesha, Helthini Kela Geleya, Vishama Vivaha, Anjumallige, Jadabharatana Kanasugalu, Swapnadarshana among others and with directors such as Fritz Benivitz, K.V.Akshara, ChidambaraoJambe, Rustum Bhurucha, K.G.Krishnamurthy, Dr.Prakash,Garud, Nataraj Enagi, S.Raghunandan, B.V.Karanth.
She has also acted in T.V serials, Documentaries, Telefilms with eminent playwrights Dr.Girish Karnad and Dr.Chandrashekhar Kambar
She also wrote and directed few puppet plays namely Hakki Hadu, Kempu Hoo, Angula Huluvina Parakaya Pravesha, Putta Gouriya Chandamama and has also worked as a Puppet Designer and Puppet Script writer for issues like Child Labour Eradication.
She is a main resource person for Kali-Kalisu an Art orientation training programme jointly conducted by Goethe Institute Germany and India Foundation for the Arts Bangalore.
She has been a resource person for the UNICEF project for Anganawadi Teachers’ training programme in Shimoga district in 1995 and has worked as an collaborative artist for the project development of Shadow puppets for contemporary audience founded by India Foundation for the Arts and Sir Ratan Tata Trust.
