Prez Murmu joins Slovak kids in watching puppet show on Ramayana

    Bratislava, Apr 10 (PTI) There was pin-drop silence among a group of Slovak schoolchildren as the show began -- a retelling of the Ramayana in their own language through puppets. President Droupadi Murmu was part of the audience.
    Weaving threads of Eastern mythology with the timeless art of puppetry, the 45-minute show on Thursday was conceived by Lenka Mukova, a devotee of Lord Krishna and an ardent admirer of Indian culture.
    The show was attended by 150 Slovak students along with President Murmu.
    Mukova, a core member of the Babadlo Puppet Theater in Presov, drew on her spiritual inspiration and artistic vision to craft a performance that resonates with both children and adults alike.
    She has done 20 shows so far in multiple cities in Slovakia and the Czech Republic in which she narrated and performed as well.
    "I have been a Krishna devotee for the last 17 years. I liked the story of Ramayana because it is full of emotions, love and values," Mukova, also known by the given name Lekha Sravanti Devidasi, told PTI.
    She said this was his first project based on any Indian epic. It is very educational for the children.
    Deeply engrossed in the show, the eyes of the children widened when Ravana came to kidnap Sita or when Hanuman faced Ravana burning Lanka down with chaupais of Hanuman Chalisa playing in the background with dramatic musical effects.
    For over three decades, Babadlo Puppet Theatre has charmed young minds with educational and culturally rich storytelling.
    The hall reverberated with clapping and waving of India and Slovac flags as curtains came down with the victory of Ram over Ravan.
    The President also saw a vibrant exhibition featuring paintings by Slovak children, created as part of the annual art competition 'Beauty Hidden in Fairy Tales – India Through the Eyes of Slovak Children.'
    Every year, children are given the theme of an Indian fable from classics like Panchtantra.
    Anna Galovichova, the founder of the Slovak-India Friendship Society based in Piestany, said that the idea to let children paint came from a sanatorium for sick children.
    "We tell Indian stories to these kids from Panchatantra or Jaatak katha and ask them to use their imagination to paint anything from those stories. It made them happy and broke the sombre mood of the sanatorium," she said.
    Seeing the success, it was suggested to take this event to other kids as well with support from the Indian Embassy in Bratislava, she said.
    "We thought of these programmes to introduce Slovak children to Indian culture. These children will be brand ambassadors of both countries," Ambassador of India here Apoorva Srivastava told PTI.
    The Society started the annual event in 2015. In the 10th edition, this year 700 entries were received.
    Dorothy, a 17-year-old student of Class 11, whose painting of a green snake titled 'The Power of Good Deed' was one of the winners, said that she was introduced to Indian stories when she was 10 years old by her teachers and parents.
    These stories have a lot of value and are interesting to read, she said.
    Tamara Kubovova, whose painting on Mahatma Gandhi was also a winner, said she came to know about India in history class.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)