Kathmandu, July 12 -- Seema Golchha's puppet Jack Denials, a fuzzy-haired creature all in blue, is funny, irreverent and sometimes rude. Though he exists primarily on Golchha's right arm, he seems to have a life of his own, carrying on a repartee with Golchha. Jack Denials' lively existence has a lot to do with the fact that he appears to 'talk', all by himself.

Golchha is possibly Nepal's first ventriloquist, a form of stage art where a puppeteer 'throws' their voice into the puppet, making it seem as if the inanimate object can talk independently. A good ventriloquist makes the puppet appear alive, talking in a different voice and accent, and crucially, not moving their lips while doing it.

Golchha is good at what she does, as the num...