Saau: A Puppet Performance Inspired by Savitri Bai Phule

About Saau

Saau is an interpretation of the Marathi children’s book Andharacha Gaanv by Swati Raje and is based on events from Savitri Bai Phule’s life. The story follows a little girl striving to bring lost light and hope to her village, which is troubled by a generational curse of darkness. It explores themes of lost hope, bravery, and challenging norms through a non-verbal approach using various sources of light, an overhead projector, self-lit puppets, and Bunraku-style puppets.

Director: Avinash Kumar

Avinash Kumar is a dancer, puppeteer, and choreographer trained in Chau, Contemporary, Jazz, and Bollywood dance forms. He honed his puppeteering skills under Dadi Pudumjee and Anurupa Roy and trained in Modern Contemporary Dance guided by Astad Deboo. He has performed extensively in India and internationally, with appearances at the Out of the Box Festival in Singapore, Tojo Theatre Reishule in Switzerland, and the Cerantino Dance Festival in Mexico. His accolades include the META Award for Best Choreography for Mahabharata in 2017, the Best Mover Award at the Poland Theatre Festival for Mahabharata in 2018, and the Rex Karamaveer Chakra (Gold) Award in 2019.

Director’s Note

Saau explores light as resistance. Drawing inspiration from Savitri Bai Phule’s legacy, the performance uses non-verbal storytelling, Bunraku-style puppetry, and multiple light sources to question inherited silences and accepted darkness, reflecting on how small acts of courage can quietly disrupt deeply rooted norms.

The Group: Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust

The Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust is a Delhi-based puppet theatre company founded in 1998. The group focuses on creating a rigorous training system for puppeteers through intensive short courses, workshops, and internships, aiming to train the next generation of professional puppeteers, create a discourse around puppetry, and build a network of puppeteers in India.