Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, India

DAY 6

By the time we waited for materials to start our Masks Ranjan De showed us how to make paper bags. We made them and added handles and surprised to learn that they could hold a brick without getting torn!

By around 11o clock, we started making our Mask Puppets. An ordinary chart paper was folded in the sides in such a way that the chart stood straight without folding, when held up. We stuck a hanger on the back which could be held with one hand or in-between our teeth while performing the show.

Then we had to choose the character which we had to paint onto our masks, keeping in mind the three themes we had selected for puppet show eclipse, Living and Non-living and Evolution of Man.

Mermaid, face of a lion, ladybug on grass, lotus flower, pot, butterfly, tree, setting Sun, moon, pharaoh, rock, pineapple, elephant, man-like monkey were the characters we painted on our masks.

We had to put two holes on the back side of the mask, within the hanger frame for our eyes to see; but intelligently camouflaged.

While making the puppets ready, our group rehearsed with the shadow puppets on the screen. We tried many times to bring about the co-ordination. It was really challenging.

We had to think about the sequence, decide which character to be held where exactly behind the screen, how to move at different angles and heights while our dialogues are told without hiding the light source which comes from behind us.

Ranjan De had become so tired after telling us again and again not to hide the light source, that he brought two chairs for us to sit and practice. Instead of yelling at us, he gave us a better option to remind us not to stand while working!

(I wish we could all implement it when somebody does not understand us, especially children all we do is just raise our voice to the top pitch and ask dont you see what I mean? Lets start doing it, rather than just repeatedly telling it to them.)

There is one more incident which needs to be mentioned, but not connected with puppetry. Three participants were absent for the previous day. They had come today and morning we showed them to how to make rods. Then they saw our shadow puppets and tried them out by themselves.

We were all so busy with our masks that we did not see what they were doing. One participant got it wrongly done and then, Oh! My God, there was then a booming noise which clouded our attention!

It was Ranjan who was asking us why is nobody helping these absentees? Why have you all become selfishly absorbed in your own work? Where is the Team-spirit? He reminded us once again that progress is not progress unless it is progress of every team member!

(How much the productivity could increase if we follow this team spirit at home, work place, personal relationships etc. Our nation can progress tremendously if we have this team spirit where in every Indian feels it is his responsibility to see his fellow Indian has a comfortable living!

Children must be given lots of opportunity to develop team spirit. But in todays modern world, we parents practice so many wrong habits which do not even allow siblings to behave as a team!

Before you start accusing me who are you and what do you know about us-parents, and why do generalize everybody? let me explain further. Be sincere and tell me, how many of you buy one toy for two or more children of yours? If not affordable we are forced to do that. But do we consciously buy one toy?!

Are we aware of what happens when we buy toys individually for our children? They lose the golden opportunity to learn to share with each other. There is no feeling of oneness and hence no team spirit. They start treating each other as competitors, which sometimes stays so for rest of their lives within the family and outside the family!!!

Similarly in schools, what instruction children are given usually bring your pencils, rubber and sharpeners. Sharing of things is not allowed. I do not blame the teachers. It is because parents complain loss of the stationary as inability of the teacher to control their students that teachers are compelled to behave in this manner.

How nice it would be if children are allowed to behave with their natural, innocent loving nature, sharing all their gifts and blessings with everybody and everything around them?)

Jai Bharat!