The National Puppet Theatre (NPT) of the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on Monday enthralled children of various educational institutions with its colourful puppet show. The show, which was a regular feature of PNCA’s activities for promotion of culture and traditions among children, was organised with an aim to aware school children about social responsibility. The puppeteers entertained children with movement of puppets featuring stories related to social issues such as environment, health, education and other social issues, while popular folk tales, skits and national songs were also staged by puppets in vibrant costumes and traditional jewelry to introduce children with rich cultural glimpses of Pakistan.
The show had become an integral part of PNCA’s programmes to provide quality entertainment and engage children in positive activities. The puppeteers provided informative entertainment for children and demonstrated their skills of moving puppets and guiding students about various issues in form of stories, songs, dances and tableaus. Puppet shows were popular as ‘Children Theatre’, which entertained with different varieties of puppets made of a wider range of materials, depending on their form and intended use (evil or good performance), said a performer inside the PNCA auditorium.
The National Puppet Theater (NPT) had developed professional skills of presenting puppet shows, which not only involved attention of viewers but left a deep impact on children’s mind with cartoon like expressions. Talking to Pakistan Today, NPT Director Zulfiqar Ahmed said that each show had multiplied the number of children on Monday to show puppet performances. “I believe puppets are the most effective characters that can make children learn more effectively and easily. Children can easily visualise the moment of puppet characters and absorb the message conveyed by each puppet,” Zulfiqar said, adding that the message of puppets remained in the heads and hearts of children eternally.
