96-yr-old puppeteer from Koppal Bheemavva Doddabalappa Shillekyathar conferred with Padma Shri award
Koppal: Renowned puppeteer from Moranala village of the taluk, 96-year-old Bheemavva Doddabalappa Shillekyathar, was conferred with the Padma Shri award by President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday.
Shillekyathar, who was born into a family of puppeteers in Moranala in 1929, has been an artiste since the age of 14 years. She has displayed her expertise in the art form in various countries, including the US, France, Italy, Iran, Iraq and Holland, narrating tales from the Indian epics as well as modern literary works using puppets. Shillekyathar, although illiterate, continues presenting puppets on stage at the age of 96 years, which has earned her the title of ‘Puppetry Grandmother’.
In addition, hers is known to be the only family in Koppal district whose several generations are involved in puppetry. Youngsters in the family are often seen accompanying Shillekyathar during shows and presenting the puppets on stage.
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Illegally stored gas cylinders seized
Thane (PTI): Authorities have seized illegally stored 1,839 gas cylinders and seven vehicles worth over Rs 67 lakh in the Dombivli MIDC area of Thane district, officials said on Saturday.
A special vigilance team of the Mumbai Rationing Department detected an illegal storage of domestic and commercial LPG cylinders in Phase-2 of Dombivli (East).
Cylinders belonging to multiple gas agencies were found stockpiled in closed vehicles, unauthorised warehouses, and open sheds without mandatory permissions from the Explosives Department, Fire Department, or oil companies, according to an official release.
