Suresh Dutta

He has also learnt fusion style of danceform from maestro Uday Shankar. He also learnt Bharatanatyam and Manipuri before moving to Russia, under a scholarship in 1962, to train in puppetry under the Russian puppeteer, Sergey Obraztsov.

Returning to India in 1963, he joined the Children's Little Theatre, under the behest of Balakrishna Menon, as the assistant dance director, where he also designed costumes and sets. A decade later, he founded his own puppet theatre group, Calcutta Puppet Theatre, along with his wife, Devi, and a few like-minded artists. The group staged several shows, beginning with the Alladin, followed by Ramayana, Sita, Gulabo aar Sitabo and Notun Jeebon, totaling over 3,000 shows. He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2009, for his contributions to puppetry.