Monday, August 4, 2025

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 -

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

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/

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

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


Wednesday, March 12, 2025

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/



Sunday, February 16, 2025

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/

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

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/

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

The Story of StoryTelling!

Real-life or Reel-life - Characters inspire us.

What if the reel-life can be made real??


The first Lion (king) puppet was born! (13th June, 2020) https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D9ufNJQLP/


What if we could bind a familiar tale with it? A traditional one, perhaps? (17th September, 2020)


Maybe, a very popular one... (9th October, 2020)



And now, lets make it theatrical... (20th May, 2021 onwards)

First online... then offline...

The Stage...


The Theatre...


The Show...



It has been a journey - an exciting adventure! And, the fun continues! 

And continues...
band of beads offers:
1. Handmade puppets with a background
2. Offline/Online puppet shows which depict traditional tales, in a modern way through puppets

Contact us for any queries/bookings:
contact.bandofbeads@gmail.com

Flea Market @Bhoomi Hubba, Visthar

Symbiotics. A short term, with a deep meaning.  With various examples found in nature, it brings in a question on the existence of individua...