Inventor's Puppet: When puppets preach for change

After his SSC exams, Shuvangkar Das Shuvo explored the city with his friend during their three-month break. 

They went wherever the wind took them, which is how Shuvo ended up crossing paths with the famous Mustafa Monwar.  

It was the first time he had seen a celebrity from such proximity, and that too the person behind BTV's puppet show 'Moner Kotha,' which had become a favourite among children across the nation. 

Shuvo describes the impact that experience interestingly had on him. He says that puppetry "haunted" him from then on, a sign of how his passion for it was beyond a mere hobby or interest—it consumed him. 

An unexpected encounter led the now Master Puppeteer towards a lifelong journey in the arts, and the start of his organisation – Inventor's Puppet.

Humble beginnings

While working on the show 'Golper Deshe' for Boishakhi TV, Shuvo mulled over the idea of taking his skill in puppetry a step further.

"Creatively I was stuck, I wasn't doing anything beyond puppetry neither was I painting for myself. I felt a pull towards puppetry though and by December 2012, I launched Inventor's Puppet," Shuvo recounted, adding, "I felt like there was a need for a puppet organisation that functioned independently to uplift puppetry as an art form."

Inventor's Puppet is an organisation that focuses on the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and uses its platform to spread social awareness. It is currently run by seven puppeteers. 

The organisation has conducted workshops such as 'Art Mediation' in collaboration with JAAGO and Goethe-Institut Bangladesh where participants were guided through puppet-making with recycled materials.

Other workshops they took part in include one organised by the Institute of Informatics and Development (IID), FHI 360, and The Lego Foundation where experts discussed how a child's learning experience can be improved through play. 

Last year, they even introduced a puppet of Bangabandhu on their page and reenacted his famous speech. This is only a glimpse at the work they have done in over a decade.

Photo: Courtesy

Before Shuvo founded Inventor's Puppet, he spent years working in the industry, building on the experience that would prove to be useful for his organisation. 

He started out by pursuing the opportunity to study and work under Mustafa Monwar as a part of the Educational Puppet Development Centre.

"When I first pursued learning puppetry under Mustafa Monwar, he had rejected me as I was very young — I had just finished my SSC exams," Shuvo shared. 

However, after a lot of convincing, Monwar gave Shuvo a chance, and he excelled at his role. Further down his career, he founded Dhaka Puppet Theatre in 2004 along with a few of his colleagues and worked there as a senior coordinator, trainer and puppeteer. 

Shuvo had also applied to be a part of the Sisimpur team after it launched. After a rigorous bout of auditions that lasted nine days, he was chosen to play beloved characters such as Elmo, Khoka Miah, Shiku and more. 

"Using the experience and knowledge I have gathered of Bangladesh's culture, I have learned to use this medium to convey positive messages efficiently and easily," explained Shuvo.

A vehicle for social change

Most of the projects Inventor's Puppet works on – be it a workshop or a show – are mostly targeted towards children. 

"The foundation of knowledge and good habits begins from this age, and we want to help children make the most out of this time," said Shuvo. 

An adult's advice might fall on deaf ears, but when these messages of healthy diets or planting trees are conveyed through a character, children are more likely to listen and remember.

One of the reasons why puppetry is one of the best mediums is because the characters turn into icons. In contrast, it is hard to look up to public figures due to how dynamic people are by nature. 

"When public figures work outside of their sectors, people (especially children) tend to raise questions. The matter is different for characters. Meena, Sisimpur, and Duronto TV's 'Bhulostein' are all icons," Shuvo added.  

Furthermore, puppets have a different dynamic with their crowd, giving the animated characters much more freedom on a stage that they would not have gotten otherwise. 

"Puppetry is larger than life. There are things a normal individual might not get the opportunity to say to high profile individuals such as ministers. A puppet can do so, while addressing them casually," explained Shuvo.

An industry that is not dead … yet

The difficulty of working in this field is finding a way to make it sustainable. Compared to other performance arts, puppetry has gotten the short end of the stick considering its fall in popularity.

"Only a handful of contemporary puppet teams exist, and the few traditional ones that do, function seasonally. This is because there are very few opportunities for work and a lack of funding," shared Shuvo.

He thinks a part of the reason is due to peoples' disconnection with their roots. He also feels like the nature of the work makes it a challenge as well. 

For one to master the skill of puppetry, they have to be skilled in audio, sculpting, writing, performing, and so on. With all of this talent, more often than not, the performer is not even seen till the curtain call.

"Individuals prefer being in the spotlight themselves. There is a tendency to highlight the person rather than the arts. In puppetry, you might see the talent, feel the heart, and hear the voice of the artist but you cannot see the artist," said Shuvo.

However, he aims to pave the way for artists in the field.

Inventor's Puppet is affiliated with prestigious entities such as Bangladesh Shilpakala, UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionnette - International Puppetry Association), the Bangladesh government, and more.

Additionally, children's content generally attracts double the audience, as their parents attend events with them.

Though Shuvo is still working on creating more streams of income for artists in the field, he proudly said, "Amid everything, I have been able to earn a modest living solely through puppetry. That's why I call myself a pro puppeteer."