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    India's first female ventriloquist, Indushree Raveendra, wishes to perform on virtual platform Amazon Prime

    Synopsis

    I had no plans of becoming a ventriloquist. As a child, I wanted to be a scientist., says Indushree Raveendra.

    Ventriloquist-123
    "I would love to perform for a large audience. It can be a virtual platform like Amazon Prime or a physical tour of a country like USA or UK or even India where language is not a barrier."
    Indushree Raveendra, one of India’s first female ventriloquists performed recently at the Bengaluru International Airport as part of its Dasara celebrations. Winner of the Limca Book of Records and recipient of President of India’s award in 2018, Bengaluru-based Raveendra speaks about her journey celebrating the offbeat art form.

    What prompted you to become a ventriloquist?
    I had no plans of becoming a ventriloquist. As a child, I wanted to be a scientist. Once family-friend, also a magician, came home and performed a simple coin trick. I was in grade 2 and fascinated by the art of magic. I figured out the trick quickly and performed it right after. My journey as a magician started from here. I didn’t undergo any formal training but started performing small-scale magic tricks. It was when I started attending magic conventions that I spotted a feather monkey. Little did I know that this Rs 200 toy would change the whole course of my life.

    I approached a ventriloquist who was reluctant to teach me as he felt that girls cannot perform ventriloquism as they will not be able to switch between voices, a reason why there were no female ventriloquists in India. I took it up as a challenge. I would stand before a mirror for hours together and practiced relentlessly. I have not looked back since.

    How did you train to be a ventriloquist?
    I am a self-taught ventriloquist. It was hard for me to figure out how to speak without moving my lips. I tried pursing my lips and biting my teeth, but nothing helped. I used to practice even without knowing whether it was right or wrong. I later learnt the techniques through an audio cassette by Edger Burgen. There was no online platforms like Youtube those days.

    I also bought CDs of Paul Winchell to learn about manipulations of puppets and other techniques.

    What was your family’s reaction to your offbeat choice?
    Both my parents were artists. My mother, Manjula Raveendra, is a singer and my father, R. N. Raveendra, a theatre artist and a painter. They encouraged me to try new things. In fact, my gather helped me build an intricate mechanism for triple dummy, four dummies act and roles reversed puppet mechanism. He helped me build the tallest dummy, which made it to the Limca Book of Records.

    Tell us about your record-breaking four-puppet act?
    I generally perform with one dummy at a time. I have also have performed with two, three and four puppets simultaneously. Four-puppets act is the most difficult one as I handle two puppets with my hands and 2 manipulated with my legs. I have to coordinate between four levers for legs and five and seven levers for hands. Moreover, I have to switch between five different voices, including mine. Five different actions, reactions, remembering the script, giving right voice to the right puppet and pulling the right levers adds up to 32 manipulations in permutations and combinations.

    I have performed in three languages, in 16 countries and across states in India. On the top of my mind, my memorable shows have been at the Mysuru Dasara 2006-07, Hampi Utsav and recent TED talk at Coimbatore.

    Who makes your puppets?
    Some puppets were created using random trinkets and built from scratch on the stage. Otherwise, my dad builds puppets for me and some other have been bought from the USA.

    Your biggest achievements.
    Besides the Limca record performances, I recently received ‘‘The First Ladies Award’’ by the president of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

    I was also the first lady ventriloquist to represent India in Vent Haven convention at Kentucky in 2010.

    Tell us something that we don’t know about the art of ventriloquism.
    Ventriloquism is an intricate art form. It has many art forms within itself. You need to compartmentalize your brain into two different parts. Yours and the dummy’s. You need to think like two (or more) different people. Dummy manipulation is another critical part of ventriloquism. More than the technical skills, spontaneity and quick wit are the important skills.

    Good scripts, singing, acting, all are crucial. The biggest challenge is to maintain the good health of your vocal chords. Also, in a diverse country like India, the more languages you know, the better.

    What do you think needs to be done to keep the art alive?
    In February 2018, I was invited by Mimicry Janardhan to teach Ventriloquism at Ravindra Bharti, Hyderabad. This two-day workshop was organized by the Department of Language and Culture by Government of Telangana. The workshop received 100s of applications across the state. We need more such initiatives.

    A platform that you aim to perform at.
    I would love to perform for a large audience. It can be a virtual platform like Amazon Prime or a physical tour of a country like USA or UK or even India where language is not a barrier.

    Where is your next big performance?
    Shows are scheduled in Bangkok and Hong Kong next month.
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