The Roar and The Squeak @ Bangalore International Centre

It all started with a cold, foggy early Sunday morning in the city of Bengaluru... a hill-station-like vibe in an urban setup!

My daughter and I ventured on a road trip towards the heart of the city - Bangalore International Centre (BIC) for hosting "The Roar and The Squeak" puppet show followed by an art activity. The session, inspired by the famous Panchatantra story, "The Lion and The Mouse" was all set to perform!

Lively posters and information boards welcomed us at BIC - thanks to the team behind the scenes!

LCD Display

Session details

As we started setting up the BIC Library for the show, the books around were the perfect companions and gave a foundation for the realm of imagination!

Little curious voices poured in. Their excitement was in the air as the puppet show was about to start!

A part of the footwear line-up!

The room slowly transformed into an imaginative jungle with roars and squeaks! This was visually expressed in an art activity, with an element of fun!

Each kid had their own story version of the Lion and the Mouse characters! I was amazed at the different perspectives of each child and the unique ways of expressing it - a reminder that all of us are special and unique!

A cold foggy day soon turned into a "house full" library room filled with heart-warming stories - a lovely twist!

I would like to thank each and every parent and child for being a part of this session. A special mention of BIC and the whole team behind the session for giving me this platform, once again!

Looking for more!

Event details on the BIC website:

https://bangaloreinternationalcentre.org/event/the-roar-and-the-squeak/

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

Hello, Thirsty Crow @Sabha

A timeless, majestic venue. A modern vibe. That's SabhaBlr.

An imaginary music filled my ears as my daughter and I landed here on the early Sunday morning. Felt like the time clock was wound a few years back, but the essence was still relevant to the current. The child artist in me was at home!

We assembled our DIY stage - made of connectors, rods and curtains to give a child-friendly look. The artwork on the stage was inspired by what a small kid would do - clouds with cotton, bushes made by paper fans, a tree made with a roll and the fabric stage background created by band of beads. The support staff did their best to keep the place spotless and in order. A perfect team-work for the prep time.

The DIY Setup

We could hear the giggle of our first guest as we got ready to welcome. And the giggles doubled, quadrupled and so on! Thanks to our ticketing partner, Urbanaut. Seamless booking experience for curated shows - both for the host and guest.

Our handmade puppet (with a special fabric, cut and stitched together) was ready to perform! The Thirsty Crow had a great crowd - the kids were brilliant participants for the prompts, song chorus and also, some wonderful dancers! For the ones seated, you could see the swaying legs to the music beats! Children express through acts - sometimes never heard! This is so inspiring!

The room was soon filled with the sounds of the crow! Kids were in the wonderland!

Grooving with the crow!

The art activity was full of inquisitive eyes - how can a paper turn into a puppet? The beauty of this craft medium is that it is available wherever you go - and the magic to give it a beautiful form is in your hands! A great learning to pass on!

After a while, each kid had their own puppet to play with! What followed was an activity with another adorable craft material - the humble cotton! Tiny palms gave a shape - another toy was born!

The two toys were made to be in sync and the loop was set for another story telling session - now by the kids!

Art. Story. Repeat! - Traditional Virtual Reality!

The Thirsty Crow had a great time landing at Sabha - all scheduled by Urbanaut! band of beads is thankful to them for being a wonderful team! 

Let us keep the loop going!

Event details at:

https://www.sabhablr.in/event-details/hello-thirsty-crow

Promotions:

https://www.cntraveller.in/story/cnt-culture-calendar-what-to-do-across-india-this-july/

https://blog.urbanaut.app/planning-a-weekend-with-kids-try-these-family-friendly-activities-in-bangalore/

Atta Galatta Thirsty Crow!

A cozy auditorium on a sunny Sunday afternoon...

A mini-movie theatre setup with a comfortable floor seating... 

Energetic kids, curious parents...

The Thirsty Crow was excited!

Performing on stage, the crow started with the repetitive sound - "caw... caw..." The kids gave a perfect chorus, synchronizing so well! The inquisitive questions by the crow were answered with apt, to the point answers! This wonderful chemistry asked for more!

Escaping all the barricades, the crow flew off to get a glimpse of the audience - and what a welcome! The kids looked forward to have their own version of the puppet! The puppet art session slowly (un)folded puppets that came to life with a rocking performance! The best part - the kids rocked it too! 

The Thirsty Crow had a memorable time with the enthusiastic audience, on a summer vacation evening! The fun was in an infinite loop, and the parting was hard...

band of beads thanks all the kids and their parents/guardians for coming over! A special mention of THE famous book store, Atta Galatta - for providing the wonderful platform! Stories, definitely are inspiring!

Event details at:

Atta Galatta:

https://attagalatta.com/event_page.php?eventid=EVT1087

Book My Show:

https://in.bookmyshow.com/events/hello-thirsty-crow/ET00439799?webview=true

Promotions of the show at the Atta Galatta Store:

Storefront

Event list - inside the store

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/