On Saturday, April 27, the Mariposa Museum and World Culture Center at 26 Main St. in Peterborough will present a performance of Indian shadow puppetry, showcasing the talents of Rahul Koonathara and Anthony Sellitto.

The performance offers an opportunity to see an ancient, traditional Indian spiritual practice and art form performed in New Hampshire.

Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for children. The event begins with a reception (with hors d'oeuvres) from 5 to 6 p.m. and a chance to view the accompanying exhibit, “Tradition & Revolution in Indian Shadow Puppetry,”  followed by a talk by Koonathara from 6 to 6:30 p.m. and the performance from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The appearance of both the performance and the exhibit in New Hampshire is the result of a collaboration between Mariposa and the University of Connecticut's Ballard Institute and Museum of Shadow Puppetry (BIMP), where the exhibit debuted last year.

BIMP Director John Bell, a co-curator of the exhibit, will also speak prior to the performance on Saturday. 

Koonathara and Selitto will perform “Tholpava Koothu: The Shadow Puppet Play of Kerala,” a segment of the ancient epic “Kamba Ramayana.” For centuries, the full version of the epic was performed over weeks in temples by as many as 40 puppeteers whose practice is considered sacred.

Recognizing the difficulty of maintaining the practice in this form in a modern world, and fearing the disappearance of both the practice and the art form, Koonathara's grandfather and father, both shadow puppet masters, began offering shorter performances of the sort that will be presented Saturday.

To increase appreciation for the art form and bring it to a wider audience, they also began offering other kinds of stories, such as the life of Gandhi, animal tales and the life of Jesus.

The exhibit at the Mariposa, on through October, explores these dilemmas and choices as well as shadow puppetry practice.

The exhibit features antique puppets, video footage, text interpretation and an interactive shadow puppet theater in which young people can experience shadow puppetry performance and effects.  

The museum is accessible to people in wheelchairs. For information, visit mariposamuseum.org.