Cockington Primary School, at Torquay in Devon, celebrated this Diwali as part of their project exploring ‘stories that stand the test of time’. The engrossed year 4 students created fabulous shadow puppets, to tell the traditional Hindu story of Rama and Sita, in their own words and images.

Their teacher, Leah Fraser, said that everyone enjoyed the “Wow factor” of my introductory demonstration and that this school workshop was very effective as a project hook, because it was “an interactive, exciting opportunity for the children.”

This picture is of the wicked, multi-headed monster Ravana, who tricks, then kidnaps the goddess Sita, for himself, although she is already married to Rama. (Who of course then rescues her, with the help of an army of monkeys.) I love how the faces show Ravana’s conflicting personalities and we see his cold and glowing broken heart.

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