Education is very important, especially
for a developing country like India. There are various methods and forms of art used in
education, but creative art can be used with great advantage, though it has not been much used. In education we have to develop
imagination, initiative and individual thinking of the child, for his self-expression. Here learning is by doing. In eight Chapters of this book, the author covers various aspects like, developing a project in puppetry and creative drama, puppet construction, diagrams of some puppets and staging etc. It contains many photographs and sketches. Young people should get opportunities to express their ideas, in their own manner. In the opinion of the author, puppetry and creative drama are easily adaptable techniques in the field of education, and this will lead to higher participation. Puppetry is a dramatic art. It has been suggested to combine rhythmic movement, pantomime, play making with puppetry in education. Creative drama is also very good for recreation.
One of the Chapters discusses the construction of puppets. The materials generally used are paper, natural materials, ready-made shapes and discarded objects, rods, decorative accessories, adhesive materials and fasteners, tools and other materials, fabrics, paints etc. These materials should be arranged in the work place. The materials should also be cared for, by proper storage, economy and cleaning up. The types of puppets based on their construction are rod-puppets, glove or hand-puppets, hand-and-rod puppets, shadow-puppets, marionettes or string puppets and table top puppets. Another Chapter gives descriptions and diagrams of some simple puppets like, Rhythm puppets, Mask puppets, rod puppets, glove or hand puppets, simple marionettes, table top (or cone) puppets and shadow puppets. These arts will also be helpful to teachers of geography, history, science, health, social sciences etc. These various arts are also useful as entertainment and exercises for children in the hospital. India has lot of potential for development of creative arts. This book is good for those, who conduct training courses in puppetry and creative drama, and also for others for using these technologies in education, field work, recreation, occupational therapy and audio-visual education. It is helpful for teaching of these arts, from the creative point of view.