“Do you know I met Gandhiji when I was a child? He was in this big house sitting on a swing, a few close ones took me to his place in Porbandar. He asked me if I wanted to study, I said yes. He gave me a book in Gujarati and that’s when I first learnt to read. But because I travel so much, I’ve learnt so many languages. I learnt Marathi in Bombay and now, I’m also trying to speak in Telugu here.

Thanks to my profession, I have been shifting from place to place, showing people the great art of puppetry. No great science and technology can take away from the true essence of theatre and performance. You want dance? We have that. Music? That too. History and mythological stories? YES! All of it together comprises a puppet show. Although my native is Rajasthan, I moved out at 20, when I decided to take this up as my profession. What’s the point of limiting this art to a place that has already seen so much of it? That’s why I moved out and have been wandering since then. My stories are a lot about history and how it’s relevant even today. Whether I have a bad day or a good one, it can all be seen through my puppets and the story of the day. Like you, many people ask me if people still like puppetry and if it’s dying? My answer is always a no. It has stayed for more than 2,000 years. Your TV and mobile will kill it? Noway!

But you know what really is interesting? The idea that we’re all puppets in the hands of God. It’s funny how people don’t understand that and fight for so many things – religion, caste, race, sex. It’s never-ending. But is all this God’s plan too? We’ll never know. ”

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