Rumiyana Brings the Works of Mevlana Rumi to Life Through Puppetry and Animation

Rumiyana

Rumiyana brings to life the works of the great mystic Sufi poet and philosopher Mevlana Rumi. Using puppetry, dance, animations, music, and projections, it celebrates humanity’s diversity. A knock on the door by a student begins a series of life-changing journeys and adventures full of wonder, beauty, love, peace, and amazement. It features the timeless fable of a caged bird realizing the spirit of freedom, a saga of dreams, and the secret of following them. The production retells the story of Jalaluddin Rumi, the famous Persian poet, and his mystical master and teacher Shams of Tabrez in a unique puppet theatre and animated avatar, detailing their search for each other, their meeting, and the subsequent conversations, stories, and poems.

Director

Dadi D. Pudumjee is an Indian modern puppet artist and director. He trained in puppetry under Meher R. Contractor at the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in Ahmedabad and Michael Meschke at the Marionette Theatre Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. He attended a training workshop in Bunraku puppetry and manipulation under Master puppeteer Sennouske Yoshida and is an alumnus of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad. He served as President of UNIMA (Union International De La Marionnette) from 2008 to 2021 and is currently its Honorary President. He founded the Sutradhar Puppet theatre repertory SRC (1980-86) and is the founder and artistic director of The Ishara Puppet Theatre. His awards include the Padma Shri (2011) and the Sangeet Natak Akademi award (1993).

Director’s Note

The Ishara Puppet Theatre, founded in 1986, was registered as The Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust in 2021 and has conducted workshops for students, youngsters, and teachers. Rumiyana is a collaborative performance featuring animator and scriptwriter Shaaz Ahmed, musician and composer Sandeep Pillai, and Dadi Pudumjee. The performance combines animation, projection technology, and innovation with puppetry alongside actor-dancers, visual imagery, and shadow techniques.