INDIAN ART AND CULTURE by Rahul Sengar Sir (TOPIC COVERED: INDIAN PUPPETRY) Ancient forms of entertainment. + A puppet is one of the most remarkable and ingenious inventions of the man. It has been said that a puppet has to be more than his live counterpart for itis definitely the suggestive element that is more captivating and enduring ina puppet. mad Bhagavata, the great epic depicting the story of Lord Krishna in his childhood say that with three strings- ‘Satta, Raja and Tama, the God manipulates each object in the universe as a marionette, + he root of Puppet is derived from the latin word Pupa’ meaning a doll ‘excavation sites at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro have yielded puppets with sockets attached to them, + Oldest written reference: Tamil classic Silappacikaram {around 1 and 2% century 8.) Natyashastra, the masterly treatise on dramaturgy written sometime during 2" century BC to 2" century AD, does not refer to the art of puppetry but the producer- cum-director of the human theatre has been termed as Sutradhar’ meaning the holder of strings. The word might have found its place in theatre-terminology long before Natyashastra was written but iti must come from marionette theatre. Puppetry, therefore, must have ‘originated in india more than 500 years before Christ Tholu a eee [feeaionta) [Yama Tosa fundhei | ge © putul Nach jombeyatta Ravan Gombeyata | aan ‘Bommalattam String Puppets Features + The puppets are generally 8-9 inch miniature figures chiselled out of wood. Oil colour is used to paint the wood with skin colour and add other facial features such as eyes, lips, nose, etc. Small wooden pipes are created with the body to form the limbs, The body is then covered with colourful miniature dress and stitched. Miniature jewelleries and other accessories are attached to give a realistic fee Strings are attached to small holes in the hands, head and back of the body which are then controlled by the puppeteer. ‘A. Kathputli (Rajasthan) ‘kath’ + wood +putli’—> doll ‘The puppets are covered in traditionally bright Rajasthani dress ‘The show is accompanied by a dramatic folk music. Unique feature —» absence of legs. ‘The strings are attached to the finger of the puppeteer. B. Kundhei (Odisha) + Material: Light wood and are dressed in long skirts Puppets -> more joints -> more flexibility. The strings are attached to a triangular prop. ‘There is a marked influence of Odissi dance on Kundhei puppet shows €. Gombeyatta (Karnataka) Styled and designed on the various characters of | the Yakshagana theatres. Havejoints atthelegs, shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. Unique feature one puppeteer is manipulate the puppets. > more than used toby Rahul Sengar Sir Mostly small in size. + Unique feature: variation of puppet size based on social status. + Kings and religious figures: large puppets. + Common people and servants: smaller puppets. B. Tholu Bommalata (Andhra Pradesh) D. Bommalattam (Tamil Nadu) It combines features of rod and string puppetry. + The strings are attached to an iron ring which is worn by the puppeteer on his head. ‘The Bommalattam puppetsarethe largest and heaviest marionettes found in India, with some of them as large as 4.5 ft in + Theme: mythological and devotional tales of the epics height and 10 kg in weight. and Puranas. The Bommalattam theatre has four distinct stages = The puppets are larger in size and coloured on both sides. Vinayak Puja, Komali, Amanattam and Pusenkanattam ‘Accompanied by a classical background in the music ¢. Ravanchhaya (Odisha) 2. SHADOW PUPPETS leer skin and depict bold, dramatic postures. No joints attached to them, making it a more complex art, Use of non-human puppets, such as trees and animals as wel Features: Flat figures cut outof leather. = ‘The Ravanchhaya artists are thus extremely trained in their ie! identics9yon both sides of the leather. art ~ creating a lyrical and sensitive theatrical narration, The puppets are placed ona white screen with light falling, from behind, creating a shadow on the screen, 3. GLOVE PUPPETS + The figures are manipulated so that the silhouettes created on the blank screen create telling imagery. A. Togalu Gombeyatta (Karnataka)Glove puppets are also known as sleeve, hand or palm. Puppets, They are small figures with head and arms wearing along, flowing skirt as costume. + Material: Cloth or wood, but some variations of paper puppet has also been seen. + Glove puppets are popular all across India, with the performance usually accompanied by rhythmic beats of drum or dholak. wakoothu (Kerala) Around 18" century AD. The puppets are decorated with colourful headgears,, feathers and face paints, which is evidence of a heavy, influence of Kathakali dance form, + Theme: Ramayana and Mahabharata 4, ROD PUPPETS Larger variations of.glove puppet and are controlled by rods by the puppeteer from behind a screen. It is mainly popularin the region of Eastern India. by Rahul Sengar Sir \. Yampuri (Bihar) Material: Wood and are without any joints. Carved out of a single piece of wood and then painted and dressed in bright colours. Utul Nachh (Bengal-Odisha- sam) alt The figures are generally 3-4 ft. high and dressed like characters of Jatra, They Generally have three joints ~ at the neck and at the shoulders. ‘The puppeteers, each of whom control a single puppet by means of a red attached to his waist, are placed behind a high curtain. The puppeteers move around behind the curtain, imparting similar movements to the puppets. The performance is accompanied by a musical troop of 3-4 musicians playing harmonium, cymbals and tabla,