Welcome our dear friends - Lion & Mouse!

Love for beads.

Love for fabric.

Love for stories.

Love for children. 

Wait... what was the first love?!

A hard choice, indeed! 

Bead weaving and fabrics share a similar story - weaving. Well, isn't a story also about weaving plots, characters and emotions?! Understood the best by kids (or maybe a kid at heart)!

After a wonderful response by the audiences and the warm hosting by performance art venues, the thirsty crow saw it all! "Caw-caws", laughs, songs, amusement, a bit of a surprise and a lesson for a lifetime! I couldn't ask for more! "Hello, Thirsty Crow" has a memory bank for sure!

The bird world is definitely worth an explore! What about the animal world? Well, its time we visit it too!

Here's a scripted, interactive puppet show inspired by another Panchatantra Story, "The Lion and the Mouse". With a cast of handmade puppets and backgrounds (by band of beads), this show is freshly packed with songs, edutainment and a moral for a lifetime!

I welcome all performance venues, libraries, NGOs, corporates and schools for a ride exclusively for kids!

Let us re-live the nostalgia and pass it on!

Bookings open!

contact.bandofbeads@gmail.com

Puppet Show & Art - A Hundred Hands

 A design institute. A handmade crafts festival. A bright, spring day. Felt like heaven for an art-lover!

I landed on the new environment, where the hand-made crow puppet was to perform - an open-air amphitheater! A wider stage, a bigger audience... excitement was crawling in! As I assembled my DIY theater, I had some company on stage - NIFT students rehearsing a dance with classical music! A perfect start!

Soon, it was time! The crowds were set, ready for the show. This time, the young crowd was dancing to the tunes of the songs, and gave a perfect chorus! The crow felt at home, despite the wider theater setup! Afterall, I had my whole family to cheer and support, this time!

With a little hand-made bird puppet in their hands, lots of inquisitive questions followed after I ended the puppet workshop:

"How to make the puppet say 'caw...caw'?"

"Can I make this bird eat?"

The answers turned into actions! The children departed the amphitheater with puppets in their hand, singing "caw...caw..."! One of the birds had a leaf in its beak - to make a nest, I guess! Stories do follow stories!

And that's what band of beads believes in - traditional virtual reality! A re-visit to the ageless entertainment - art and storytelling!

A special "thank you" to A Hundred Hands for supporting art in various forms and giving a platform to showcase.

More details at:

A Hundred Hands facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/share/19ZAJ6CgEu/

band of beads facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/share/19ZAJ6CgEu/

Hello Thirsty Crow! - BIC

The ambience felt so homely - mattress seating, custom mini-theatre in a library, on a rainy Sunday morning!

"Mamma, what is behind the brown curtains?", the first reaction from a 3-year old in the audience. I heard the whispers with answers. Curious children, excited parents... I was all ears sitting behind the curtains. The ambience was captured in camera by another curious member, all grown up... my daughter! Its a wonder of perspectives!

I could hear a range of emotions as I got into the character of the thirsty crow, enacted through a handmade puppet. The audience (including the parents) were great participants. There was a point, when the "caw, caw.." became a favorite chorus! The thirsty crow was now a hero!

A puppet making activity had to follow as everyone wanted to get a handmade puppet, like the thirsty crow! It was a sight worth a capture when the puppet came to life! A world of fantasy!

band of beads would like to thank all the parents and the kids for participating in this traditional experience. Its great to see a community still holding their roots strong!

A special thanks to team BIC (Bangalore International Center) for giving an opportunity to band of beads and being a great host. It made a perfect Sunday morning!

Event details at BIC website:

https://bangaloreinternationalcentre.org/event/hello-thirsty-crow/