Bharatman at 02:50, 27 February 2026

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{{Short description|Indian puppeteer}}
{{Indian patronymic|Anupama|Hoskere}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Anupama Hoskere
| birth_name =
| alias =
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1964|12|20}}
| birth_place = [[Bengaluru]], [[Karnataka]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| parents =
| spouse = Vidyashankar Hoskere
| children = 3
| occupation = [[Puppeteer]]
| known for = Indian classical string puppetry
| awards = [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] (2018)<br/> [[Padma Shri]] (2024)
}}
'''Anupama Hoskere''' is a [[puppeteer]] from the Indian state of Karnataka. A recipient of Senior Fellowship in Puppetry from the [[Ministry of Culture (India)|Ministry of Culture]], Government of India, she also received many awards and honors including the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] for puppetry, and [[Padma Shri]] in arts.

==Biography==
Anupama was born on 20 December 1964, in [[Bengaluru]], Karnataka.<ref name="padma">{{cite web |title=SMT. ANUPAMA HOSKERE |url=https://www.padmaawards.gov.in/Document/pdf/CitationsForTickets/2024/202455.pdf |website=www.padmaawards.gov.in}}</ref> She began training in [[Carnatic music]] and [[Bharatanatyam]] dance at a very young age.<ref name="padma"/> She has trained in Bharatanatyam under the late [[Guru Narmada]] and the late V.S. Kaushik.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Toy story with a twist |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/archives/toy-story-twist-2523934 |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}</ref>

Anupama who graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree from [[B.M.S. College of Engineering]] in 1987, completed two post graduate degrees, M.E. in Communication Engineering and M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from [[California State University, Long Beach]], in 1993.<ref name="padma" /> After completing Masters, she worked for a while at an [[Information technology|IT]] company in the United States.<ref name="Times of India">{{cite news |title=Puppets get a new lease of life |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spotlight/Puppets-get-a-new-lease-of-life/articleshow/18749883.cms |work=The Times of India |date=2 March 2013}}</ref>

Anupama studied traditional Karnataka string puppetry from Guru M.R. Ranganatha Rao.<ref name="SNA">{{cite web |title=ANUPAMA HOSKERE |url=https://sangeetnatak.gov.in/public/uploads/awardees/docs/1649586499_Anupama%20Hoskere.pdf |access-date=2025-01-19 |archive-date=2023-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218133804/https://sangeetnatak.gov.in/public/uploads/awardees/docs/1649586499_Anupama%20Hoskere.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> When she came to study, Rao was initially skeptical about whether a middle-class mother who had studied abroad would be suitable for learning puppetry, but later, understanding her interest further, he agreed to teach her how to perform puppet shows and later how to carve wooden puppets.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Orenstein |first=Claudia |date=2015 |title=Women in Indian Puppetry: Negotiating Traditional Roles and New Possibilities |journal=Puppetry International Research Review |volume=1 |issue=1 |url=https://pipreview.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2022/04/19/women-in-indian-puppetry-negotiating-traditional-roles-and-new-possibilities/?format=pdf}} Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.</ref> Later, in 2011,she and her husband conducted a puppet-making workshop in [[Prague]] with [[Miroslav Trejtnar]] to learn Czech [[marionette]] carving, jointing and stringing techniques.<ref name="Hindu">{{cite news |last1=Ravi |first1=S. |title=Puppets have no ego: Anupama Hoskere |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/puppets-have-no-ego-anupama-hoskere/article29340260.ece |work=The Hindu |date=5 September 2019 |language=en-IN}}</ref><ref name=":0"/>

===Personal life===
Anupama and her husband Vidyashankar Hoskere have three children, Prakruti Hoskere, Vedhus Hoskere and Divya Hoskere.<ref name="IE"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Anupama Hoskere on puppetry in life and being the creative mum – MumsAndStories.com |url=https://www.mumsandstories.com/2016/03/21/anupama-hoskere-on-puppetry-in-life-and-being-the-creative-mum/ |date=21 March 2016}}</ref>

==Career==
In [[puppetry]], Anupama have experience in all areas, including puppet making, character design, costume design, script writing for puppet plays, music and lyrics for puppet plays, lighting, and sound effects in puppet plays.<ref name="dsource">{{cite web |title=Anupama Hoskere |url=https://www.dsource.in/resource/history-puppetry-india/indian-people-puppetry/anupama-hoskere |website=www.dsource.in |language=en |date=5 August 2021}}</ref> She is the founder director of the Dhaatu Puppet Theatre in Bengaluru.<ref name="IE">{{cite news |title=Unsung Heroes: Meet Anupama Hosakere, an engineer-turned-puppeteer who is keeping an ancient Indian artform alive |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/meet-anupama-hosakere-engineer-turned-puppeteer-ancient-indian-artform-karnataka-8518211/ |work=The Indian Express |date=25 March 2023 |language=en}}</ref> Anupama is also the Festival Director of the Dhaatu International Puppet Festival, an annual festival held in Bengaluru, which started in the year 2009.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Govind |first=Ranjani |date=2020-01-09 |title=Dolls and strings |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/anupama-hoskere-dhaatu-puppets-bangalore/article30522396.ece |access-date=2025-01-19 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref name="hindusthan">{{cite news |last1=Ayushi |first1=Parekh |title=I never even dreamed of this: Anupama Hoskere on Padma Shri |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/htcity/i-never-even-dreamed-of-this-anupama-hoskere-on-padma-shri-101706681529245.html |agency=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=31 Jan 2024}}</ref> She founded the Dhaatu Puppet Museum in Bengaluru, a puppet museum that houses a collection of unique puppets from various states in India and around the world.<ref name="padma"/> Owner of over five thousand of different puppets, Anupama Hoskere is also the owner of the largest puppet collection in India.<ref name="News Minute">{{cite news |last1=Sai |first1=Veejay |title=The Master Puppeteer: Bengaluru queen who owns India's largest puppet collection |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/features/master-puppeteer-bengaluru-lady-who-owns-indias-largest-puppet-collection-50442 |work=The News Minute |date=26 September 2016 |language=en}}</ref>

Anupama also tries to innovate by breaking away from the traditional methods of puppetry. Having practiced Bharatanatyam for years, she has added strings to the legs of some puppets to make them dance.<ref name=":0"/> As per her own design, she has made a large Bharatanatyam dancer puppet with more than eleven strings, which helps in moving eyes and body parts of the puppet.<ref name=":0"/>

Anupama has also won the UN Erasmus Mundus Scholarship to teach Indian classical puppetry to postgraduate students, and taught at the [[Polytech Nice Sophia]] in France, the [[Université libre de Bruxelles]] (ULB), and at the [[University of Paris]].<ref name="SNA"/><ref name="Economic Times">{{cite news |last1=Puranik |first1=Apoorva |title=Puppetry is serious business: Anupama Hoskere, an engineer, breathes life into this traditional art form |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/puppetry-is-serious-business-anupama-hoskere-an-engineer-breathes-life-into-this-traditional-art-form/articleshow/69937377.cms |work=The Economic Times |date=25 June 2019 |archive-date=18 February 2023 |access-date=19 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218140724/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/puppetry-is-serious-business-anupama-hoskere-an-engineer-breathes-life-into-this-traditional-art-form/articleshow/69937377.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> She is a visiting faculty of the [[National Institute of Design]], Bengaluru and also [[TED (conference)|TEDx]] speaker at many universities of India.<ref name="SNA"/>

Anupama is an empaneled artist of [[Indian Council for Cultural Relations]].<ref name="IE"/> She have created about 14 one-hour puppet shows and 8 short puppet shows based on Inian epics and other stories.<ref name="dsource"/> Apart from several venues in India, she have also performed puppetry shows at various international festivals in France, Belgium, Morocco, USA and China.<ref name="dsource"/>

Anupama also held several positions including one of the advisory board members of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, member of the Central Advisory Board on Culture, India, advisory board member of the Puppetry Cell of the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]], board member of the [[Kalakshetra Foundation]] in Chennai, and the committee member of the Karnataka Bayalata Akademi.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Master Puppeteer Smt. Anupama Hoskere |url=https://sphoorthitheatre.com/images/2023/Puthalika%20Patrika%20Mar%202023.pdf | magazine=Puthalika Patrika | date=1 April 2023 | accessdate=11 April 2025 | pages=29–39}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
Anupama received Senior Fellowship in Puppetry from the [[Ministry of Culture (India)|Ministry of Culture]], Government of India, to revitalize traditional eachanoor puppetry.<ref name=":0" /> She received the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] for Puppetry in 2018.<ref name="padma"/> In 2024, she received the [[Padma Shri]] in arts.<ref name="hindusthan"/> She has also received many awards including the Vishalakshi Award from the [[Art of Living Foundation]], and the Outstanding Woman Award from the [[Association of Kannada Kootas of America]], San Francisco.<ref name="SNA" />

==Works on her==
A documentary on her life and works has also been released.<ref name="News Minute"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoskere, Anupama}}
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian puppeteers]]
[[Category:People from Bengaluru]]
[[Category:Artists from Bengaluru]]
[[Category:California State University, Long Beach alumni]]

Anupama Hoskere - Revision history

Bharatman at 02:50, 27 February 2026