There are inadequate training opportunities, very limited exposure to the world of puppetry outside India (Non traditional puppetry is only 50 years old in  India, a nascent form in the country as opposed to a long run in the rest of the world). Very little discourse and literature exists in India. What exists is in the nature of anthropological descriptions of different traditional forms or sketchy articles about them.

Since 2014 UNIMA  has been focussing on filling this lacuna.

We have organised six Masterclasses. The Master Classes were conducted by masters both from contemporary forms and traditional, from India and abroad.

The Master is the centre of the pedagogy. Her/his practice determines the kind of learning that takes place. This primarily includes skill sets, a world view and philosophy about puppetry and puppeteers and work with narratives.

It is the learnings from these Masterclasses and research of pedagogical practices in South East Asia, Europe and Canada,that have led to the Foundation Course for Puppeteers which was organised in 2018–19 in New Delhi. We hope to continue to build on this Foundation Course model in the years to come. Click on images below to enlarge.