Padmagatha Explores Environmental Care Through Puppet Theatre

About Padmagatha

Padmagatha is a tale of nature, rivers, flora, and fauna where myths are born. Shakuntala is born in the lap of a lotus after sages hear a baby's cry near flowing water and Vedic chanting. She grows up cared for by Mother Nature, accompanied by a little deer, river's water, flowers, and trees. King Dushyanta enters the jungle with subordinates to hunt, disrupting nature's order and frightening Shakuntala. The king then discovers Shakuntala's natural beauty and falls in love, and love ultimately helps rebuild nature as a triumph over evil powers.

Director Sudip Gupta

Sudip Gupta started his puppetry career in 1983 and has conceptualised, scripted, designed, and directed all his plays since 1990 after establishing the Dolls Theatre. He earned a fellowship from the Ministry of Culture in 1989-1991. His directed plays include Taming of The Wild, Padmagatha, Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Nak Kata Raja, and Saheb Baganer Sundari. His forte is experimenting with new frames on stage, using puppets as modern-day communicators, and creating synchrony between live performances and stage puppets.

Director's Note

In Padmagatha, director Sudip Gupta explores an untold story of Shakuntala standing up against the killings and rapture of nature by King Dushyanta. The play uses an immensely large lotus leaf as its stage of action and is presented using life-size puppets and other objects through dancing and acting to deliver a message on environmental care.

Dolls Theatre Group

Dolls Theatre is a puppet theatre group of Kolkata formed in 1990 by Sudip Gupta. The group has participated in international puppet theatre festivals, carnivals, and events in countries such as Iran, Israel, Spain, Thailand, Bulgaria, and Russia. Their productions have been broadcast by Doordarshan and used to spread social messages. The group is associated with cultural bodies including Sangeet Natak Akademi, SPICMACAY, Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, ICCR, CCRT, Paschim Banga Natya Akademi, Bharat Bhawan in Bhopal, Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi, Madhya Pradesh Lok Kala Parishad, and Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya.