NAAT Foundation is a puppetry and theatre group dedicated to reviving and preserving Assam’s traditional folk puppetry, Putola Naas, and theatre forms like Ankiya Bhaona. Beyond cultural preservation, we actively use puppetry and street theatre as alternative media to drive social change, addressing crucial issues such as gender equality, education, domestic violence, disability inclusion, and environmental conservation.

PuppetPeople Assam, the puppetry wing of NAAT, was founded in 2013 by Drishana Kalita. Manash Protim Neog, an alumnus of the National School of Drama, New Delhi, began his theatre group New Age Actors’ Theatre in 2009. Both the puppetry and theatre wings were combined and formally registered as the New Age Actors’ Theatre Foundation under the Trust Acts of 1982 on June 2, 2023, by Drishana Kalita and Manash Protim Neog. Through our chapters viz. NAAT Academy of Acting, PuppetPeople_Assam, and NAAT Studio, we continue to nurture talent, create thought-provoking performances, and amplify voices that often go unheard.

Over the last decade, NAAT Foundation has reached over 15,000 people annually through performances and workshops across Assam, raising awareness on key social issues. Our ongoing efforts focus on reviving traditional folk arts while empowering rural youth and women through puppetry and theatre.

Currently, NAAT is working to sustain and promote Assam’s cultural heritage arts including Sattriya mask making, Putola Naas, and Ankiya Bhaona, exploring their immense potential as a tool for social change and economic empowerment. Under the Puppetshala initiative, children and adolescents in seven villages of Kamrup district are receiving training in traditional puppet making and performance. Another important aspect of our work is retelling folklore through folk puppetry to initiate discussions on the portrayal of women in traditional narratives and the normalization of gender-based violence and early marriage.

Through Putola Naas, NAAT aims to create a new generation of puppeteers, with young girls and women leading the way. They will receive training in all aspects of puppetry while using the art form to tell their own stories of resilience and empowerment. We envision a socio-cultural movement where heritage meets activism, ensuring that Assamese performing arts retain their glory while becoming powerful tools for gender equality, storytelling, and grassroots change.

A Unified Vision for Artistic and Social Change

Four chapters form the foundation of NAAT’s vision to blend traditional performance arts with modern storytelling techniques, ensuring that Assamese theatre and puppetry continue to thrive, evolve, and inspire social change. Through each of these wings, we remain committed to:

• Nurturing young talent and empowering new generations of artists.

• Creating thought-provoking performances that challenge societal norms.

• Amplifying marginalized voices and using performing arts as a tool for awareness and advocacy.