Chennai Kids Script Puppet Show on Climate After Toxic Tour

Fifteen children from Chennai's Narikurava community had never seen thermal power plants, oil refineries, or the city's industrial skyline until July 18. That's when Agai, a Gen-Z theater collective, took them on a "Toxic Tour" across Chennai to witness firsthand how pollution affects people's daily lives.

But this wasn't just an awareness trip. The children were gathering material for their own year-long puppetry production called "Enge Engal Nadhigal" (Where Are Our Rivers?), where they'll write the script, perform, and tour Chennai telling audiences about disappearing rivers and environmental damage.

The approach sounds simple, but it flips the usual script. Founded by Tittu and Nambi Srinivas, both trained social workers, Agai rejects the idea of being a "voice for the voiceless." "Everyone already has a voice," Tittu explains. "What people need is someone willing to listen."

For two months, Agai has sat with the Narikurava children, making puppets and just talking. No rigid lesson plans, no mandatory practice sessions. When the children finally felt comfortable, the stories poured out naturally.

"Once we gave them the puppets, they started speaking automatically," Tittu recalls. One child talked about forests, another about the River Ganga she'd never seen. The puppets became safe spaces to share thoughts adults never asked about.

The Ripple Effect

Agai's philosophy emerged from founder Tittu's time at Kanthari, an international leadership program in Kerala. Meeting Sabriye Tenberken, who founded Tibet's first blind school, reshaped how he thought about community work. He realized that speaking for communities isn't the answer; creating platforms for them to speak is.

That collaborative spirit now defines everything Agai does. They partner with organizations like Vettiver Collective and Chennai Climate Action Group, sharing resources rather than competing. They're helping organize the March for Marshlands rally on July 25, joining 20+ organizations calling for wetland conservation.

Beyond puppetry, Agai runs tribal education programs in the Nilgiris, produces environmental music, and connects urban students with tribal communities through shared experiences instead of surveys. Their dream? A forest-based learning space where education grows with children rather than forcing them to adapt to rigid systems.

Financial uncertainty remains their biggest challenge, but Tittu and Srinivas keep "going with the flow," building something small that listens first and teaches second. When children who don't want to go to school eagerly show up to make puppets and tell stories, they know they're onto something.