Kamini Kaushal Had Enduring Passion For Puppetry

MUMBAI -The late actress Kamini Kaushal had a profound passion for puppetry, creating highly detailed figures that she used as an extension of her artistry.

She had explained the profound connection she felt: “When you are doing puppetry, there is an extension. You make an extension of your own self and you instill it into the puppet.”

Her dedication to the art form was evident when she committed to intensive training abroad. “I went to London for 15-20 days just to attend one workshop,” she recalled. “I said, ‘Before I start, there is a very lovely puppet center there in London. I want to go there and do it’. So my husband was telling me, ‘Are you crazy? What are you going to do?’. I said, ‘I have to go. I have to go, anyhow’,” she said, estimating the incident occurred sometime in the 1980s.

She noted that her sincere desire to work often smoothed her path, saying, “I must say, I have been very, very blessed. Because I have a sincere desire to work. It’s not that I have faced a lot of difficulties.” As an example of her proactive nature, she mentioned approaching an individual in a position of power for assistance: “I remember when I did not know this gentleman, I&B secretary, I didn’t know him. I never met him. I went to him and I told him, ‘I want to make programs for children. Help me’. He just talked to me and he discussed it with me.”

Kamini Kaushal, widely considered India’s oldest living film actress, passed away in Mumbai on November 14 at the age of 98 following age-related health complications. Her family had requested privacy. (IANS)