Kahani Pani Ki – The Politics of Thirst

Rolling Museum series

Directed by Smita Urmila Rajmane

Leather Puppet Performance by Sinde Family

Assisted by Umesh Kumar, a puppet theatre practitioner

Folk Singing by Uma YG

Original Score and Music by Telegu Poet and Singer Gaddar

Song Arrangement and Composed by Chintan Vikas

Voiceover by Md. Faheem and Md. Zain

The first story in the Bioscope Tales series - Kahani Pani Ki – The Politics of Thirst

Imagine a train of thirst enters inside a glowing screen and intricately crafted leather puppets tell the story of a young boy traveling to meet his father. At just nine years old, he documented his experience of thirst, revealing the deep injustices of exclusion.

Step into this world of Bioscope Tales, where history unfolds through shadow puppetry, folk songs, and performative archives. This project challenges the illusion of neutrality in education, using art as a medium to uncover long-silenced narratives.

The journey of collaboration begins in the village Nimmalakunta of Andhra Pradesh where Sinde Family of traditional leather puppeteers of Tholu Bommalata style meet with contemporary spirit of art, education and theatre practice. We are bridging generational knowledge, power of folk song with contemporary discourse of art to transform forgotten histories into immersive, interactive experiences. The bioscope—a portal between past and future—offers a space where storytelling becomes a form of resistance.

What Awaits You?

Storytelling through a Shadow puppetry & live folk song performance, Peek through a bioscope and Interactive activities.

It is more than a performance, Bioscope Tales invites you to listen, question, and participate. Will you look closer? Will you hear the whispers of history?

Join Us. The bioscope is waiting for you.

Biography of Artists

Smita Urmila Rajmane is a public intervention artist, performer, and educator whose multidisciplinary practice addresses themes of caste, class, gender discrimination, and communal violence. Using participatory methods such as Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, puppetry, and game-based activities, she amplifies marginalized voices through archival installations and performances. Notable projects include I Hear You, The Battle of Ram Rajya – The Game of Chess, and The Ambedkar Age Digital Bookmobile. Her work has been exhibited globally. Smita has also curated participatory shows for children, such as Mokita, which explores the Dalit Panthers movement (2018), and the Dr. Ambedkar Festival. She has received multiple project grants and residencies.  

Anjaneyeulu Sinde and his family, revered masters of leather puppetry from Nimmalakunta village, Andhra Pradesh, carry a rich legacy of craftsmanship passed down through four generations. With a collection of over 800 meticulously crafted puppets, they have created thousands of pieces that blend tradition with contemporary themes. Their artistry has earned them prestigious accolades of various kinds National Awards including the Padma Shri and Sangeet Kala Academy Award, and they continue to inspire future generations through workshops at renowned academies, preserving and innovating their cultural heritage.

Umesh Kumar is a Delhi-based, professionally trained puppeteer with 14 years of experience at Kat Katha Puppet Arts Trust, specializing in puppet design, diorama sets, and workshops for children and adults. He is the founder of "Arth The Meaning Puppet Arts," using puppetry to address social and interpersonal issues, and has performed nationally and internationally, including in Russia and at venues like the CSMVS Museum in Mumbai.  

Uma Y.G. is a celebrated folk singer and theatre artist from Karnataka, known for her performances in Kannada Kogile and films like Cinema Bandi. She has won awards such as Karnataka Sangeetha Kala Ratna and Janapada Gaanasiri for her contributions to folk music and theatre.  

The program is part of the Rolling Museum series of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, initiated by the curator Avik Debdas that transforms the concept of a museum into a dynamic, moving entity, weaving art seamlessly into the fabric of urban, sub-urban or rural life. Rooted in the philosophical idea of 'praxis'—the process by which theory, lessons, or skills are enacted, embodied, or realized—this program invites artists/ groups/ collectives to engage in various kinds of public interventions and community engagement programs. Decentralizing the museum experience, the programme tries to redefine public space as ever-evolving cultural landscape, encouraging dialogic acts, where artists choose their sites for the performance or any sort of engagement program with communities, educational institutes, artist-run studios, art institutions etc. The initiative not only democratizes the access to the artistic expressions, but also making the public sphere itself a living, breathing museum in perpetual motion