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/

The Community Art Circle

A sea-facing view?

A view with lots of greenery?

A mountain-facing view? Or maybe, a view from the top of a mountain?

Which one would you pick?

Nature is generous. A silent teacher. A timeless preacher.

Every view has its own philosophy. But what remains constant, are your eyes - witnessing the view. Sometimes, a boxed view and sometimes, out-of-the-box! Very few follow the latter. But, all of them understand and enjoy it!

The products at band of beads are inspired by an out-of-the-box view of mundane objects. I got an incredible opportunity to explore this dimension with kids, that too for the Children's Day celebrations!

I was spell-bound by some kids' views (who initially seemed rather silent). A blend of art and game, "The Community Art Circle" was a question: "How do you feel when you break the box?!" Smiling faces. Lighter minds.

@Sreemathi AnnaVasanthi, opposite Sabhablr

@Resident Community Celebrations

Want to give it a shot? Bookings now open!

contact.bandofbeads@gmail.com

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

Two sides of the same coin...

One coin. Two sides - heads and tails.

Living beings. Two sides - good and evil.

Nature. Two sides - give and take.

What would you choose?

Power gives choices. A choice you make defines what you are - more importantly, your belief. And sometimes, the belief affects someone in how they believe in themselves!

The crow in the famous fable, "Thirsty Crow" saw it all! The bad. The ugly. But the spirit of believing in itself and learn from mistakes, kept it going. 

Inspired by the fable, the band of beads puppet show-cum-art session, "Hello, Thirsty Crow!" saw it all in a week -

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

Folkluru Santhe - ADI BLR Design Week - Bhartiya experience!

Lush Greenery. Structured Layout. Wide Footpaths. That's Bhartiya City, Bengaluru. Nested in this area, Bhartiya Mall is a shopper's ultimate destination - a big mall, with a huge open area outside.

Excited voices. Pearly white santhe tents. Flowing sarees laid in a pattern for decor... Quite an early morning sight! 

It was band of beads' first experience to be a part of the design community sante - Folkluru, by ADI BLR Design week! Supported by the Government of Karnataka and BBMP, this was a unique platform for artists following various art forms. A two-day paradise for art-lovers.

A fabulous informal jam session made the stall setup lively. Thoughtful food arrangements, especially to combat the weather - heat and wind, made the experience all the more Bharatiya! The three "walls" of the stall with an open entrance seemed like a little cocoon for all my handcrafted bead products! It was a world of fantasy, come to life!

Evenings were an absolute delight - buzzing crowds, artistic performances ranging from music to dance, and a cricket match final on a HUGE screen! Our wonderful customers got to get a peek into the band of beads world, and take some of it home! It was a pleasure to meet little art fans talking about their various interests. Yes, the hand-made tradition is still alive!

band of beads would like to thank all the guests who stopped by to interact, appreciate and participate! Thank you, organizers, volunteers, ground staff and support staff for putting in the best. A special shout out to ADI for this ambitious venture of bring artists together - it did feel to be a part of the design community. And, this would not be possible without the support of the Government of Karnataka, in the vibrant city of Bengaluru!

Looking forward to be a part of another design event... a puppet show performance for sure, the next time!

Event details:

https://www.blrdesignweek.in/