World Puppetry Day observed on 21st March.

Why in news?

• World Puppetry Day was observed on 21^st March 2022. It aims to recognize puppetry as a global art form and to pay tribute to and honor puppeteers from around the world.
• The World Puppetry Day was established in 2003 by the Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA) also known as the International Puppetry Association.
• On this day, Sangeet Natak Akademi under the Ministry of Culture is organizing a puppet festival ‘Putul Utsav’ in five cities in India, which include Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Hyderabad (Telangana), Angul (Odisha), New Delhi and Agartala (Tripura).
• Theme– ‘Azadi ke Rang, Putul Ke Sang’.
• The festival will retell the stories of freedom struggles of India through the medium of puppets.
• Various forms of puppetry art such as String, Shadow, Rod and Hand puppets will be showcased.
• Puppetry in India was traditionally a temple-based art, whose themes were borrowed from puranic literature, mythology, epics and local legends.

About Union Internationale de la marionnette (UNIMA):

• UNIMA is a non-governmental organization affiliated with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
• Founded- 1929
• Headquarters- Charleville-Mézières , France