His
first endeavour with theatre was during his college days and then on,
theater has been an indispensable part of his life. He worked with
Playwrights and senior theater persons like Parvatha Vani and Dr. B.S.
Narayana Rao both in Kannada and Sanskrit languages. As he excelled in
the field of theater, he got inspired to write his own plays, keeping
in mind, the current social problems, amalgamated with inclusion of
Mythological characters in his plays. He has highlighted problems such
as pollution, deforestation, and adulteration in his plays.
These
plays have won several awards, for instance, plays like the
Gangavatharana. He has efficiently adopted plays like Sri Krishna
Thulabhara, Lankadahana, Kumara Sambhava, Sri Krishna Digvijaya. These
convey the myths and realities of life, thus supporting a moral in each
play, as his themes for his puppet plays. His performance has classical
music along with Yakshagana beats, making it a complete show.
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As
a part of his educational plans for his students, he has taken many
chapters in textbooks; to name a few, Panchatantra, Buddha's Life.
He learnt practical puppetry under his Guru M.R. Ranganatha Rao, a
Central Sangeeth Natak Academy Award Winner. He understood the
philosophical meaning under Sri Ranga Maha Guru, the founder of the
“Ashtanga Yoga Vignana Mandir” a spiritual Centre and Shri Shri
RangaPriya Swamiji.( http://www.ayvm.in/index.php ).As a result he established his own puppet theater
called “Putthali Kalaranga”, evolving a new style in the field of
Puppet Theater called “Mudrika Style”.
His
puppets weigh around 8 to 10 kgs, ornamented with traditional sarees
which make them look exuberant. The movements are made by jerking them
with iron rods thus making them lively. His plays have got easy
conversation, classical Karnatic music with melodious tunes.
Recognizing his contribution in this field, he has been bestowed
several State, National and International awards like Karnataka
Janapadha Yakshagana Academy Award, CCRT Presidents' National Award,
India, American Biographical Center, North Carolina, USA and
International Biographical Center, Cambridge, UK. Datta was chosen by
the Karnataka Janapada and Yakshagana Academy for its Annual award for
1996. He has also been honored by Directorate of State Educational
Research & Training for using “Puppetry as an Educational Aid.” He
has participated in several puppet festivals and seminars in India and
abroad. The prestigious Centre for Cultural Research and Training
“Teachers Award” for 1996 has been a feather in his cap. His name is
included in World Puppeteer's Encyclopedia. |
The
Indian Government, Ministry of Human Resource and Development on
recognizing Mr. Datta’s contribution to the educational field and
puppetry has bestowed him with the national award as the Best Teacher
for the year 2004. Mr. Datta is married to Smt Ramamani Dattatreya and
resides in Bangalore city.
He
has given several demonstrations and shows in India and abroad. His
recent visit to Iran, Brazil, South America and Israel has got him and
his nation, great recognition. The media has featured him several times
Several live interviews have been telecasted throughout South America,
the United States, Canada, Mexico, India and Iran. His works have been
lauded by the Media and the public. His name is included in the "Who's Who" general
knowledge book and Asia Pacific Men of Arts and Culture. Through his
puppet theatre he has been serving the Society and the field of Arts.
He is also a Resource person in the field of Geo-Sciences and Arts.
... ... ... ...as introduced by JA Jornal
de Minas Gerais, Brazil-
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| Awards |
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Karnataka State Janapada Yakshagana Award
DSERT State Award
CCRT National Award
Excellency in Education Award
American Biographical Institute Award, North Carolina, USA
Distinguished Leadership Award, IBC, Cambridge, England
Aryabhatta award.
National Award for the best teacher from the Govt. of India
Raghasuddhalaya Puraskar |
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| Honorary Titles |
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Shikshaka Ratna (Gem of a teacher)
Kalarathna (Gem of an artist)
Puppet King
Putthalika Chakravarthi
Karnataka Bhushana |
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| Art Form & Style |
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Rod-String Puppetry Show, Mudrika Style
Temple Based Traditional Puppetry |
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| Important Performances |
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World Puppet Festivals at Brazil.
Houston Kannada Vrinda, Houston, Texas, USA
7th International Puppet Festival at Tehran, Iran
Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
Mavalankar Hall – Rajyotsava, New Delhi
Samkaleen Puthali Samaroh, SNA, New Delhi
International Doctors Summit, Bangalore
Navarasapura National Festival, Bijapur, Karnataka
Rashtreeya Puthali Samaroh, Udaypur
South Centre Cultural Centre, Nagpur
Ravindra Sadan – Bangashree, Calcutta
Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai
ICCR Invited Audience Programme.Bangalore.
International Summit of Astrophysics World Conference (IIA), Bangalore
Port Blair–A&N Island, Workshop & Performance |
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| Contribution for a Social Cause |
|
Girl Child Education
Adulteration of Food
Deforestation Problem / Air pollution |
Medium Utilised to popularize the art form |
|
Purana Kathamala, T.V. Serial in Kannada, Tamil & Telugu.
The Puppet World – CCK, DD Network
Avalokana, Bangalore & Delhi
Datta & his Puppet World, D.D. International
Documentary – Central Sangeeth Nataka Academy, New Delhi
Puppet Photos used in Calendars by State Bank of Mysore
Parichaya – In Udaya T.V.
Datta’s Puppet World by Chandana - Doordarshan |
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| Puppets at |
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USA, England, Germany, Iran, Brazil, Israel, Japan, etc.
Showroom of Designing Centre, Calcutta
Showroom of Designing Centre, Mysore |
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| Articles & Reviews |
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Deccan Herald, The Pioneer, Delhi
Prajavani, Womens Era, Times of India
Indian Express, Asian Age
Taranga Hindu,
Sudha
Swagat (Indian Airlines inflight magazine)
Tehran Times
Publicacao diariamente, Rio-de-Jeniro, Brazil
Daily Gerais, MG, Brazil. |
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| Special Information |
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Senior Artist in Drama, Folk Section and Educational Broadcast in AIR
Enrolled in Empanalment list of artist in ICCR, New Delhi
Co-opted member, UNIMA (India)
Included in World Puppeteers Encyclopedia
Member of Craft Council of Karnataka
Resource Person, CCRT, New Delhi |
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