The Bearer of Strings

Do the gadget crazy children today know about a certain 500 year old art form which used to entertain kings and queens? Do these adrenaline filled tiny tots know of the dying Indian heritage and how today it exists with its modified counterpart?

With a view to educate children about puppetry, its various forms and the rich Indian heritage, Enactus SRCC in collaboration with UNIMA India have organised a week long puppet festival in schools and NGOs, Sutradhar.

Day 3 of  Sutradhar Festival was hosted by Cambridge School, Noida, where traditional and modern string puppetry were performed by puppeteers from Katputhli colony, Shadipur and those who have been trained under Mrs. Ranjana Pandey and Ms. Anurupa Roy, President and Secretary of UNIMA India, respectively.

At first was the traditional string puppetry performance. Along with musicians on the Dhol and the Harmonium, did the puppeteers perform, and showed how the likes of kings like Amar Singh Rathore were entertained in their courts, with stringed marionettes. We told the children about the origin of String puppetry in India 500 years ago in Nagore, Rajasthan, and the crowd was fantastic in its response.

Post this was the show on modern string puppetry headed by Mr. Shamim Ansari. The children loved this as well, and it was pretty amusing to see that the children were standing on their seats to have a better watch, and their teachers were experiencing a hard time, trying to control them.

We told the children about the basic differences in the 2 types of the same form of puppetry. The teachers too appreciated the show and we surely will incorporate all the feedback in our future shows.

Frankly speaking, I couldn't have wished for a more responsive and enthusiastic crowd.

It was plain awesomeness.

By Ishan Gupta

Surabhi Seth, former president of Enactus SRCC, shares her Enactus experience!

Surabhi Seth was the President of Enactus SRCC during the year 2011-2012. She is someone who just looks serious on the outside (in her first year, her seniors used to ask her to laugh more often :P) but she is one of the most enjoyable persons to work with. Since she used to come across as a strict person and the co-president, Twinkle came across as the lenient one, they often tried interchanging their images. :-p

With a meticulous style of working, she writes down each and every thing. An organised and focused leader, it was in 2011-2012 that Enactus SRCC took up the surmount responsibility of two new projects and committed to empowering two new communities.
Surabhi loves the Beatles and Coldplay and is in Paradise Eight Days a Week. Whenever out on Enactus lunches, she finds herself surrounded by only vegetarians. Be it steadler pens or hand sanitizer, she has this obsession for a few peculiar things. (The hand sanitizer trait is perhaps a president-thing given that the current Enactus SRCC president, Nehal too finds hand sanitizers irresistible).
Lakshadweep island is really close to Surabhi's heart. And she is very close to all of our hearts. :)
Here's what she has to say about her Enactus experience! `


'' Our country is plagued by a plethora of problems. Everyday, we look at the misery around us, say a prayer for things to change, and then close our eyes and go about our lives. Before Enactus, I read about change, I spoke about change, but it was only through Enactus that I could truly bring about change! Enactus gave me a platform to bridge the chasm between thoughts and action, and make a difference. It has changed my life and helped me change the lives of those around me. Being a part of the Enactus community has been a transformational journey. One of the key takeaways from this experience for me has been the way it has enhanced my communication and people skills. Over the last three years, I have found myself interacting with people from various strata of society -­‐ from families living in the most deplorable slums to representatives of multi-­‐billion dollar corporations. I've learnt to work with people who come from diverse backgrounds and have equally diverse working styles. It has offered me an extraordinary lesson in leadership!
All in all, an experience like no other! ''


Readers who are members of Enactus, please feel free to share your own Enactus experience with us as a comment to this post!