Puppetry, India’s vanishing art

by Subashini Pathmanathan

All over the world puppetry is quite popular. It is considered one of the most important entertainment art. Puppetry reflects the country’s culture, traditions and customs. Even some of the contemporary issues are enacted through puppetry.

Indian puppetry was considered one of the important art forms in the theatre. Several centuries ago puppetry originated in India as an entertainment art form. However, it has lost its vitality today. Indian puppetry imparts various religious values and philosophy.

Earlier the puppeteers travelled to various places to earn their livelihood. However, it was considered as a folk art.

Puppet making is an exceptional art. Unfortunately, puppet makers’ talents are not much recognised. They must bring out the characters with appropriate figure and facial expressions. Even proper costumes and ornaments are adopted to adorn the puppets. In addition, external voice support and appropriate music are given to the puppets to reveal the theme of the story.

The names and nature of the puppet shows vary from region to region. For instance, in Andhra Pradesh puppets were made out of leather. The theme of the story was depicted through the movements of the puppets. Sometimes the shadows of the puppets are allowed to fall on the back curtain. Puppetry manipulate the puppets with sticks.

Shadow puppet

In Tamil Nadu this type of puppetry is called Nillal Attam (shadow puppet show). Still puppetry shows are very popular among the rural public. Usually puppet shows take place in the night. Andhra Pradesh is very popular for the shadow puppetry, and certain communities preserve it. Similarly, another shadow puppet show was performed in the modern Kerala state it was called Pavaikuthu of Malabar.

Earlier, puppetry was started for entertainment purposes only and later it gained more popularity and recognition among the common people. Originally, the puppets were made out of leather, that’s why it was called Tholpavai Attam or Bommalattam. Tholpavai means dolls made out of leather.

In Andhra Pradesh, it is called Tholu Bommalattam. Later the puppets were made out of various other materials such as cloth, light wood and paper pulp. But today some of the puppets are made with heavy plastic or rubber.

In Tamil Nadu the Bommalattam puppets are manipulated through strings. This art form was very popular in the Tanjore district.

It originated during the period of Tanjore regime. Puppetry was originally performed in the royal courts in Tanjore of Tamil Nadu.

Earlier mere platforms were used to display the art, but now, covered stages are used and the manipulators stand close to the stage to manipulate the puppets.

Strings are tied to various limbs of the puppets. The strings are used to manipulate the puppets even today.

Theme

Generally, the selected theme was explained, and revealed through dialogue, narration and music. Different Indian states named the puppetry differently.

In Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, it is called Bommalattam. They hold the shows during carnivals, temple festivals and social functions.

In Rajasthan, puppetry was called Kathputali. They also believed that their ancestors were responsible for the origin and development of Indian puppetry.

Later they migrated to different states and wherever they migrated, they introduced this art form. Beautiful puppets are made with an aesthetic touch.

Earlier the rational theme of the story was the life history of a ruler named king Amar Singh who ruled some hundred years ago. Later numerous techniques were introduced to keep the interest of the audience alive.

Odissi puppetry

In Orissa the Odissi puppetry was based on Radha and Krishna themes and Vaishnava cult. Earlier the art form was called Sakhi and Kanchi Nat. Sometimes folklore or popular legends are also selected for puppet shows. The size, shape and even the figure of the puppets differ from state to state.

In Bengal, it is strictly dedicated to goddess Kali and performed during the religious functions of the temples. Some of the puppetry were vested in the hands of a few classes or certain communities. A few puppet shows have gained popularity within a particular regional level alone due to various factors such as linguistic and cultural differences.

Strings

To activate the puppets the strings are used and modern technology is added to some extent to give effect to each scene according to the needs (by sounds, colour and lights). Due to the arrival of modern technological innovations such as television, video and home video systems the traditional puppetry has lost its vitality to some extent. Those who totally depend on this for their livelihood faced a lot of difficulty for survival. Yet at the village level, it has some entertainment value.

Puppet shows have again gained popularity through the television media. Now various social themes and political based themes and lively subjects are taken for television puppet shows to impart certain ideas in the minds of the viewers.

By seeing the television puppet shows, the younger generation has an opportunity to gather some ideas about the old traditional folk art. In some of the television puppetry shows, the puppets are activated through modern remote control equipment.

Like other Indian art forms, the Indian puppetry has its influence in the South East Asian region, mainly in Java and Bali. Wayang Golek is one of the popular puppet shows of this region. Ramayana and Mahabharata are some of the themes of the puppet shows.