There was music in the air as they waited in the auditorium at Kaligi Ranganathan Montford MHSS.
At 11.30 a.m. there was a flurry of activity and seven guests arrived. Organised by the Primary Department the show “Vihaara” the puppet show was on its second season and used English and Tamil songs to reach out to all. Each show had a story! Many props were used and the sequences were short but meaningful. The first show was a religious one with a message. Each religion has a god and the only difference is that the gods are the same only called out differently. In the sequences that followed hand puppets and shapes were used to talk about shapes. If they had understood shapes well the next show explained the various colours with the use of stars that hung from above. We may have seen different flowers but to know their names and what flowers are used for was another such sequence. Hand puppets that looked like a cock and a sun was used to reinstate the importance its wake up calls. The following sequences taught the kids all they needed to know about pumpkins, jackfruit and butterflies, puppies, clock, capsicum, wild animals and pet animals.A few of the stories included the rat's visit to the library and how it turned the pages using its nose, about a parrot who is chased away by a crow when it went to eat the mangoes and how the parrot with the help of a balloon not only managed to eat the mangoes but also chases away the bully and another one on the three little pigs.
The interactive sessions, tips on making their own puppet and summarising the sequences added to the success of Vihaara II.
B MONIKA, IX: I liked it a lot. I hated missing season I but the saarai puppets and the Parrot and the Balloon was my favourite
HEMALAXMI, IX: I was so proud that this was put up by my school. The session was inspiring and interactive. I liked the Tamil songs a lot.
D BALA , V: My favourite was the parrot and the balloon. This was the first time I have ever been to a puppet show and I never knew that there were so many types of puppets used.
PRIYANKA II: Three little Pigs was close to my heart. I loved the shadow puppets and the music was the best.
