Pulling the right stringsIf you thought that all puppets could do was entertain, think again. At a workshop organised by Disha, the resource centre of Rewachand Bhojwani Academy, last week, 30 primary and pre-primary school teachers from all over India were taught how puppets could be used in the classroom.Says Dr Sunita Bhagwat, co-ordinator, Disha, ``The teachers came from all over India and were most impressed by what puppets could do.'' Hemant Kanitkar, the puppeteer who demonstrated at the workshop, showed how a child's attention could be held on topics ranging from environment, cleanliness, pollution.Participants were asked to select topics and were then given hands-on training on how to make finger-and-hand puppets, write scripts, use their hands and modulate their voices. ``But what was most interesting to the teachers were puppets made from material available in a classroom,'' says Bhagwat. ``One can use a hanky and bottle caps on the fingers and have an effective puppet.'' More like effective teaching. If this is adapted in schools, teachers will have not just one, but a class full of puppets on their strings.This one's for theatre buffsEnglish theatre-lovers have reason to rejoice. The Odd Couple, a play directed by theatre heavyweight Alyque Padamsee with pop singer Sharon Prabhakar and Karla Singh in the lead roles is going to stage its all-India premiere right here in Pune at the Nehru Memorial hall on August 13 and 14.The play, a comedy about two girls with differing temperaments who share an apartment, also includes Kashmira Varifdar, Kamal Mulla, Riyaaz Makaney and Francois Castellino as part of its cast. In all, three shows will be held in Pune before the play goes to Mumbai. Pune-based Hollywood Highlands and Oscar Club, in association with The Pride Hotel, are to host this play.Tickets for the play will be available at Nihan Estates, The Pride Hotel, ABC farms on MG Road, Jazz Garden, Club Shoppe at Poona Club, Juke Box at Dhole Patil Road and Rashmi's Chalet at Vimannagar. The English theatre scene in Pune sure seems to be picking up.Au naturelleMonsoon and Nature weave a different kind of magic all around. And what better way to experience this spell than to spend some time in the midst of the natural? Nisarga Vedh, an organisation working in the realms of nature education and environment conservation, takes you to Varandha Ghat and Shivthar Ghat on August 9 to get a first-hand feel of this monsoon mystique.Known as a holy place that inspired Sant Ramdas Swami to write the famous Dasbodha, the monsoon flora of this site is also unique. To point this out, the excursion will be accompanied by botanist Dr Radhika Behere as the resource person. Education - right under the trees, huh?A good readSharing the joy that a literary work has to offer with others having similar interests can often be an experience more memorable than reading it by yourself. Presenting such an opportunity is the University Women's Association (UWA), Pune, along with `Bandhawi', that has organised the reading of the late G.N. Dandekar's famous novel Mrinmayi on Aug 12 at 6 pm at the UWA Hall. Participating in this exercise will be Dr Veena Deo, Vijay Deo, Madhura Dahanukar and Ruchir Kulkarni. Who said that a book has to be read alone?
