https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Maguni_Charan_KuanrMaguni Charan Kuanr - Revision history2026-07-31T19:35:02ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Maguni_Charan_Kuanr&diff=514648&oldid=prevMlzsgondia at 22:03, 14 March 20262026-03-14T22:03:41Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian puppeteer (1937–2024)}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates |date=May 2025}}<br />
{{Infobox person<br />
| name = Maguni Charan Kuanr<br />
| image = File:Maguni Charan Kuanra.jpg<br />
| caption = Kuanr in 2015<br />
| birth_date = {{birth date|1937|02|12|df=y}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Keonjhar]], [[Orissa Province]], [[British India]]<br />
| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|06|01|1937|02|12|df=y}}<br />
| death_place = [[Keonjhar]], [[Odisha]], India<br />
| other_names = <br />
| occupation = [[Puppeteer]]<br />
| known_for = Promoting [[Hand puppet#Rod puppets|rod puppetry]] (''Kandhei Nach'')<br />
| years_active = <br />
| awards = [[Padma Shri]] (2023)<br>[[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] (2004)<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''Maguni Charan Kuanr''' (12 February 1937 – 1 June 2024) was an Indian [[puppeteer]] known for promoting [[Hand puppet#Rod puppets|rod puppetry]], traditionally known as ''Kandhei Nach'' in the state of [[Odisha]]. <br />
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In 2023, Kuanr was conferred the [[Padma Shri]], the fourth-highest civilian honour by the [[Government of India]] for promoting and propagating the traditional rod-puppet dance form of Odisha.<ref name="New Indian Express">{{cite news |last= |first= |date=23 March 2023|title=Puppeteer Maguni Kuanr Gets Padma Honour|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bhubaneswar/2023/Mar/23/puppeteer-maguni-kuanr-gets-padma-honour-2558662.html|newspaper= [[The New Indian Express]] |access-date= 3 May 2025}}</ref> Earlier in 2004, he had been conferred with the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]].<ref name="Sangeet Natak Akademi"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/rod-puppeteer-maguni-kuanr-dead/articleshow/110629454.cms |title=Rod Puppeteer Maguni Kuanr Dead |work =[[The Times of India]] |date=2 June 2024 |access-date= 3 May 2025 |author= Singha, Minati}}</ref><br />
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== Early life ==<br />
Born on 2 February 1937 in [[Keonjhar]], Odisha, Shri Maguni Charan Kuanr came from a family of traditional puppeteers. He was introduced to the art of ''Kandhei Nach'', which uses rod puppets, by his father, Shri Baishnab Charan Kuanr.<ref name="Sangeet Natak Akademi"/><br />
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== Work ==<br />
Kuanr contributed significantly to recognising ''Kandhei Nach'' beyond Odisha. He established his troupe, the "Utkal Vishwakarma Kalakunja Kandhei Nach", based in Keonjhar. Shri Kuanr participated in camps and workshops organized by the Odisha [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]] and other institutions to promote his art. His work has been documented by various agencies in India and abroad.<ref name="Sangeet Natak Akademi">{{Cite web|author=|url=https://sangeetnatak.gov.in/public/uploads/awardees/docs/Maguni_Charan_Kuanr.pdf|title = Maguni Charan Kuanr Akademi Award: Puppetry|publisher= [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]]}}</ref><br />
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Like many traditional puppeteers, he created his puppets, designed the costumes, and narrated the plays performed.<ref name="Sangeet Natak Akademi"/> Kuanr's characters and stories ranged from mythology to government schemes to social issues.<ref name="Times of India">{{cite news |author =Singha, Minati |date=1 June 2024|title=Pioneer of Rod Puppetry Maguni Kuanr Dies at 88 in Odisha|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/pioneer-of-rod-puppetry-maguni-kuanr-dies-at-88-in-odisha/articleshow/110610188.cms|newspaper= [[The Times of India]] |access-date= 3 May 2025}}</ref><br />
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== Death ==<br />
Kuanr died in Keonjhar, Odisha, on 1 June 2024, at the age of 87.<ref name="AIR">{{Cite web|author=|url=https://www.newsonair.gov.in/eminent-puppeteer-padma-shri-maguni-kuanr-passes-away/|title=Eminent Puppeteer Padma Shri Maguni Kuanr Passes Away|publisher= [[All India Radio]] |access-date = 3 May 2025}}</ref><br />
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== Awards and honours ==<br />
* [[Padma Shri]]<br />
* [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]<br />
* Kabi Surya Upendra Bhanja Award, the highest award of Odisha [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]]<ref name="Times of India"/><br />
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== References ==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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{{Authority control}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuanr, Maguni Charan}}<br />
[[Category:1937 births]]<br />
[[Category:2024 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian male artists]]<br />
[[Category:21st-century Indian male artists]]<br />
[[Category:Artists from Odisha]]<br />
[[Category:Indian founders]]<br />
[[Category:Indian puppeteers]]<br />
[[Category:Organization founders]]<br />
[[Category:People from Kendujhar district]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]</div>Mlzsgondia