Coimbatore | This performer uses puppetry for inclusive storytelling

Poongodi Mathiarasu, a puppetry enthusiast, aims to spread the art form's therapeutic benefits through workshops and performances.

It is the liberty puppetry offers that drew Poongodi Mathiarasu to the art form. “Anything can become puppetry,” says the 25-year-old, who is from Tiruppur. The art from is not limited to physical movement. “Anyone, including people who are differently-abled, can try it,” he says, adding: “It can be used to tell stories to people across ages.”

Mathiarasu is trained in eight forms of puppetry, and is all set to train parents and teachers at an upcoming workshop in the city.

He has travelled across the country in search of unique forms of puppetry. He learned an Indianised version of the Japanese Bunraku at a workshop in Delhi, shadow puppetry in Karnataka, and glove puppetry in West Bengal. He is also trained in finger and giant puppetry. The latter involves puppets upto eight feet, operated by a team. “Parents can use puppets to interact better with their children; it can also help the elderly overcome lonliness,” he says.

Mathiarasu wants to incorporate folk art into puppetry, and try something experimental. He has a strong background in theatre, having performed since his post-graduate days at Loyola College in Chennai. His tryst with Tamil folk arts began at the Art and Literature department in the college. With his team, he also put up street plays to create awareness on socially relevant issues. “We would visit other colleges whenever we had time, to train those interested in theatre,” he adds.

He has also tried his hand at directing plays. “I’m interested in community-based theatre, and have directed five plays written by people from the transgender and queer community, which we staged for several college students across Tamil Nadu,” says Mathiarasu. The idea, according to him, was to translate the lived experiences of transpeople as well as those in the LGBTQ community, to the stage.

But his heart lies in puppetry and its many nuances. He feels it will benefit children in the autism spectrum, owing to its therapeutic effects. “The Indian education system does not provide a strong educational support system to children in the spectrum,” he says. “These children also have very less exposure to the arts, and I want to take puppetry to them.” He has worked with organisations such as The Spastics Society of Tamilnadu, using puppets to engage with special children.

In Coimbatore, Mathiarasu is working with Nizhal - The True Self. He has done several children’s workshops for the organisation that, apart from hosting art and craft workshops, supports children with learning disabilities, autism, and ADHD.