|THEATRE|10th ISHARA INTERNATIONAL PUPPET THEATRE FESTIVAL A Life In Her Day (90mins) by Hilary Chaplain, USA. Dir.Avner Eisenberg. A hilarious, rib-tickling, one-woman show, Chaplain creates magic by clowning around and transforming ordinary items like a lamp post and paper towels into human objects. Meet a quirky, single woman, who meets a man, falls in love, gets married, goes on a Hawaiian honeymoon and has a baby – all in a day! It’s Charlie Chaplin & Lucille Ball’s slapstick & tragic comedy rolled into one. Audiences engage and participate in Chaplain’s wild theatrical antics and ultimately find themselves transported, moved and enriched by this extraordinary evening on the stage. Tickets at Rs.250 available at the Programme desk.

|THEATRE|10th ISHARA INTERNATIONAL PUPPET THEATRE FESTIVAL Sanjay And His Master (50mins). An Indo-German Puppet-music-theatre-project by Matthias Kuchta, Germany. Dir.Dadi Pudumjee. Adapted from an old Buddhist tale from the Dshatakam story cycle. Sanjay, a young man, leaves home & becomes a musician in Varanasi under the famous court-musician Ananda. He falls in love with his teacher’s daughter Nandita, and dreams of becoming as famous a musician as his teacher. Till one day, the King decides he needs only one musician in his court. Sanjay & his master have to compete in a concert -and only one can stay in the court! The tale is about finding one’s place in the world and discovering one’s true calling. It brings together Western and India artists together and inculcates in children an appreciation for classical Indian music. A musical delight for the whole family! Tickets at Rs.250 & Rs.100 available at the Programme desk.

|THEATRE|10th ISHARA INTERNATIONAL PUPPET THEATRE FESTIVAL The Earth And The Universe (55mins) by Yas-e-Tamam Theater Group, Iran. Dir.Zahra Khyali Sabri. Seven stories of life, faith, freedom, miracles, biblical characters and more from the great 13th century Sufi poet Rumi’s much loved book Masnavi are retold in this entertaining and delightful show. In A Small Green, we meet a sweet mouthed cow; while in Umar & The Harpist an old harp player gets a second chance. In The Parrot and the Merchant, we meet a clever imprisoned parrot who feigns death to be free. In the show stopper Moses & The Shepherd, the prophet Moses learns from his mistakes and apologizes to a shepherd. Every story imparts a divine & important message to the enchanted audience. Recommended for 8yrs and above. Tickets at Rs.250 & Rs.100 available at the Programme desk.

|THEATRE|10th ISHARA INTERNATIONAL PUPPET THEATRE FESTIVAL The Backyard Story (60mins) by Puppet Beings Theatre, Taiwan. Dir.Jack Sun. The story is universal and magical: what do inanimate things do when they're not being used? There are two housewives who are neighbors and constantly quarrelling with each other. While drying clothes in the backyard, they constantly compare whose clothes are more beautiful, expensive, stylish and etc. The two finally break up in discord. In the two quarreling neighbors’ backyards, there are toys & clothes lying about, when a big red balloon comes by and touches each of them. Everything comes alive and each has its own interesting story to tell. The two neighbors and the audience learn a valuable lesson as a result of this. For the whole family. Tickets at Rs.250 available at the Programme desk.

|THEATRE|10th ISHARA INTERNATIONAL PUPPET THEATRE FESTIVAL Bozak-E-Chini (The Goat And The Wolf) (40mins) by Parwaz Puppet Theatre, Afghanistan. Dir.Abdul Haq Haqjoo. Parwaz is the first independent puppet theatre ensemble in Afghanistan founded by young theatre professionals, committed towards the reviving of traditional stories and modern Afghani puppetry. A well loved, ancient children’s fairy tale, Buzak-e-Chini (a goat) and her three kids live in a jungle. One day she has to leave her kids alone and before leaving she warns them of the dangers of opening the door for strangers. Despite her warnings, a greedy wolf that joins forces with a cunning fox, jackal and raven, manages to trick the three little kids and capture them for dinner. The brave mother goat takes on the villains, before the King of all animals, the Lion, delivers a wise verdict. For the whole family. Tickets at Rs.250 available at the Programme desk. Collab: Goethe-Institute, Kabul

|THEATRE|10th ISHARA INTERNATIONAL PUPPET THEATRE FESTIVAL Paper Cut (50mins) by Yeal Rasooly, Israel. Solo performance of object and paper theatre. A lonely secretary remains in office after all others have gone home. From her little corner, using photos from film magazines she keeps hidden, she escapes into a world of daydreams. There she is a glamorous movie star from the 1940's and finds her ideal love at last. As her fantasy unravels - romance, intrigue, obsession, imagination and reality collide to become a Hitchcock worthy, absurd & humorous nightmare. The show reveals the obsessions and dangers of Romantic fantasies. The language of black and white cinema is transformed to the “low–tech” universe of Paper Cut-outs and object theater, creating a tension that is absurd, painful and humorous. Recommended for 8yrs and above. Tickets at Rs.250 available at the Programme desk.

|THEATRE|10th ISHARA INTERNATIONAL PUPPET THEATRE FESTIVAL Oh Rats! & A Package For Granny by Sydney Puppet theatre, Australia. Two fun packed shows for kids and folks of all ages; get prepared to meet an array of loveable and colourful puppet characters. In Oh Rats! (30mins) there’s Magica the magician, whose new assistant turns Magica’s world upside down. Cheeky rats, a sausage circus, an escapologist duck and a very special magic hat will make you rub your hands in glee.  Anything you put into the magic hat multiplies and becomes two but, if you put yellow things in the hat - they disappear! In A Package For Granny (30mins), well known children’s nursery rhymes and tales come to life as we join Granny and her friends Green and Yellow and the little Turtle on a happy little adventure to find Granny’s lost package. The show is very engaging and entertaining for young children; and the adults in the audience will enjoy themselves as well. For the whole family. Tickets at Rs.250 available at the Programme desk.

|THEATRE|10th ISHARA INTERNATIONAL PUPPET THEATRE FESTIVAL Genesis (Creation Of Earth)- Legends of the indigenous people of India (50mins)by The Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust, India. Dir:Dadi Pudumjee. At the foundation of every culture, there is no story more fascinating than how the creation of the Earth came to be. Adapted from various Gond, Santhal, Bilal & Adavasi tribal myths thousands of years old, these stories enlighten one about the origins of our planet, its life and natural wonders. In the beginning there was nothing but water. Then the clay in the oceans brought up by the earth worm to form land. Then many cycles and the evolving of life. This fascinating & humorous performance is brought to life with shadow puppets and other shadow and projection techniques. Rediscover age old tales of Indian mythology, which have been forgotten in the 21st century. A performance for the young and old. Tickets at Rs.250 available at the Programme desk.

|THEATRE|10th ISHARA INTERNATIONAL PUPPET THEATRE FESTIVAL Chick With A Trick (60mins) by Desislava Mincheva, Pro Rodopi Art Centre, Bulgaria. Dir.Petar Todorov. Based on the fairytales of Margarit Minkov, it’s a fun-filled family show with puppets, dance and theatre. It tells a story about a hen who lays a bonbon instead of an egg and we follow her hilarious misadventures as she tries to sort out this problem. In the end, inspired by a sunny day and the children around, she convinces herself that there is nothing wrong in doing something unusual and different if it brings joy to others. For the whole family. Tickets at Rs.250 available at the Programme desk.

|Stand Up Comedy - Varun Calling Varun Varun Grover & Varun Thakur, part of the comedy troupe- 'Schitzengiggles', take centre-stage with comical takes on politics, films, Bombay life. One's a frustrated writer, the other is a frustrated struggling actor. Tickets at Rs.350, Rs.250 & Rs.100 available at the Programme desk from Feb.3 for IHC members only. Open to all from Feb.6 onwards. An Old World Culture Presentation

|THEATRE|10th ISHARA INTERNATIONAL PUPPET THEATRE FESTIVALThe Circus Stachamoose (60mins) by Tommy Baker, Your Man’s Puppets, Ireland. Get ready to meet the mysterious Stachamoose brothers who hail from the mist-shrouded Orient. Vlado is the enigmatic magician, while Elmer, in the words of Bob Dylan, is a song-and-dance man. With the strange and odd animals they have collected on their journeys, it’s a fantastic circus show like no other. There’s Jub-Jub the dexterous dog, performing pooch and clowning canine; the Hansters – part hand, part hamster – and their tale of true love; while a special guest performance is provided in a death-defying tightrope act by a mysteriously shrunken Little Brother. For the whole family. Tickets at Rs.250 available at the Programme desk.

|Bards & Minstrels of India Series -  Loknatya Bachnagama by  Gulzar Ahmed Bhatt followed by a performance by Begum Gul Akhtar.Collab: North Central Zonal Cultural Centre

|THEATRE|10th ISHARA INTERNATIONAL PUPPET THEATRE FESTIVAL Gone With The Feet (60mins) by Laura Kibel, Teatro dei Piedi, Italy. Be amazed and mystified as this ambidextrous puppeteer transforms her hands, feet, knees, stomach and other parts into fantastic & funny characters & props. The short stories shown are wordless and can be understood by people of all ages. The ingeniousness of this artist is that the special effects are a pair of bare feet that transform in front of the audience, creating continually changing faces. A visual delight for all ages. Tickets at Rs.250 available at the Programme desk.

|THEATRE|Caferati @Habitat- The Open Mike Series. Perform your own work, in any of the languages of the National Capital Region. Poetry, fiction, diatribes, songs, it's all good. You get two minutes, and the microphone; the rest is up to you. Moderator: Danish Husain Please contact the Programme Desk for more details.

|THEATRE|Celebrating 20 years of Feroze Abbas Khan’s classic production Tumhari Amrita (Urdu/85mins)Wri.Javed Siddique.Cast:Shabana Azmi and Farooque Shaikh . A poignant love story told through letters spanning a period of 35 years. This lyrical journey in time and space, chronicles the lives of two very different people, who cannot live with or without each other. Tickets at Rs.350, Rs.250 & Rs.100 available at the Programme desk from Feb.15  for IHC members only.

|DRAMATISED READINGS|A dream theatre initiative by Yatrik Theatre Group & Old World Culture continues… Reading of the selected script from Session I with improvisations and adaptations. At Session II- Aditya Sudershan’s The Green Room, directed by Vani Vyas - remastered!