At 83, Padma Shri Suresh Dutta is as excited about his show as a puppeteer as he was when he started at the age of eight.
The director of Calcutta Puppet Theatre, Dutta wakes up at 5 am even today and goes on to spend 12 hours in his workshop in Kolkata.
In the city to perform at BK Birla School, Balgandharva and Nehru Memorial Hall in collaboration with the Bank of Maharashtra, Dutta will be presenting Aladin that has been running successfully for 40 years with over 3,000 shows.
Before he gets to divulge more details on life and work, Dutta quizzes us about his background. Happy that we know where and when he started, he said, “Ganesha has been my favourite since childhood. The idol of his would fascinate me and I was curious why this particular deity has an animal face.”
Dutta’s brush with puppets began when he was eight and it was by fluke. “When the villagers in Bangladesh were immersing the idol of Durga on the last day of Dussehra, I dived into the waters and managed to get hold of the head. I put it up on a stick and played with it for hours. Not to forget I was beaten up for the act and for using it as a puppet,” he said.
When asked if he feels the puppet industry is in dire straits, he retorted, “Puppet shows are not only about entertainment. It is educational and informative. For instance, I only pick educational stories wherein I can include morals and value education for kids. I talk about unity, love, affection and respect through my shows. Also, none of this is preachy as it is incorporated in the show in a subtle yet smart way.”
Having trained under the tutelage of puppet maestro professor Sergy Obratzov in Moscow (Russia) in 1961, Dutta is of the opinion that India is yet to see the best in puppetry.
“Water puppetry is what I am working on right now and it will be something to watch out for. It is an experience which no one should miss,” he said.
Don’t miss it
Suresh Dutta will be performing at Nehru Memorial Hall at 5.30 pm today.
