ICAR-CIBA organised a puppet show awareness campaign on 31 October 2023 at Kottaikadu village, Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu, under SCSP program to promote improved livelihoods through brackishwater aquaculture technologies for the Scheduled Caste families. Approximately 100 participants including school children, scheduled caste families, fisherfolk from Kottaikadu, Kolathur and neighbour communities attended the event.
The campaign featured a “folklore puppetry show” which showcased various aspects of fisheries based livelihood opportunities for coastal families, emphasizing the importance of sustainable livelihoods, climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation, cleanliness, the significance of education, govt welfare schemes and insurance policies available for brackishwater aquaculture sector.
The puppetry show was performed by Mr. Kalaivanan of the Bommalattam Arts Group from Tamil Nadu. Dr.Kulkeep Kumar Lal, Director, ICAR-CIBA played a pivotal role in shaping the content of the Puppetry show, with the aim of enlightening and empowering the villagers. The coordination and organization of this event was spearheaded by Dr.R. Geetha, Dr.D.Deboral Vimala, Dr.R.Jayakumar and Dr.T.Bharvaneswari, Scientists of ICAR-CIBA. The programme was coordinated with the guidance of Dr B Shanthi, Dr T Ravisankar, and Dr P Mahalakshmi, Principal Scientists, Social Sciences Division. The programme received a warm and appreciated response from the villagers, marking a successful initiative to raise awareness about livelihood.