m
 





- Taking Tradition Forward, with Strings Attached
à
 

á w

 is a form of theatre or

performance which involves the
manipulation of puppets.
á Relieved to have originated 30,000
years R .
á Puppetry takes many forms but they all
share the process of animating
inanimate performing objects.
á The term 'puppet' has a simple origin. It
is derived from the Anglo-
Anglo-Norman word
'm mm
'
mm
' meaning 'dollµ.
á Puppets have served as analogy for matters ranging
from spirituality to politics to commercialisation.
Humankind is often referred to as 'puppets of God'.

á Puppetry is used in almost all human societies both as

an entertainment ± in performance ± and ceremonially
in rituals and celebrations such as carnivals. Right from
ancient times to date, the people use puppets in
ceremonies in secret societies, ethnic groups, healing
and hunting ceremonies, ritual dramas, and for
entertainment.

á Most puppetry involves storytelling. The impact of

puppetry depends on the process of transformation of
puppets, which has much in common with magic and
with play.
á Puppetry has co-co-existed with its allied arts of theatre, music,
dance and design, without which the art would not be what it
has developed into today. And while it borrows from these art
forms it also lends to them its own values of objectivity,
stylization and movement.
á The puppet play has a function-
function- it is religious of entertaining,
political or abstract, an imitation of reality to a glimpse of the
unknown.
6 
á There is evidence that puppets were used in Egypt as early as 2000
R when string-
string-operated figures of wood were manipulated to
perform the action of kneading bread.

á Wire controlled, articulated puppets made of clay and ivory have

also been found in Egyptian tombs. Hieroglyphs also describe
"walking statues" being used in Ancient Egyptian religious dramas.

á Some of the earliest kinds of puppets were tribal ritual masks with
hinged jaws or jointed skulls used in religious ceremonies. Puppets
seemed to have evolved from these masks to doll like figures with
moving limbs.

á Native American Indians used puppets in their corn festivals and

ceremonial dances. Egyptians made jointed puppets from terra
cotta.
Puppets and jointed dolls
from ancient Egypt
6 

á In The Middle Ages the hristian hurch used puppets to spread
church doctrine. Monks and priests were the puppeteers.
á Puppets made their first emergence in Europe through Greece.
Puppet plays were shown at the Theatre of Dionysus at Acropolis.
This gave rise to the Y 



tradition, where
performers travelled from place to place in half-
half-masks or with
puppets.
á Puppeteers did not enjoy a high social status and consisted mostly
of the then pariah groups like Jews and Gypsies. However, in
1310, the hurch began to encourage puppetry, which helped it
flourish. Italian puppet shows, known as   

,


, produced
momentous shows like the tragedy 'Dr. Faust'.
G
 
à

á Evidence of earliest puppetry comes from the excavations at the
Indus Valley ivilization. Archaeologists have unearthed terracotta
dolls with detachable heads capable of manipulation by a string
dating to 2500 R . Other excavations include terracotta animals
which could be manipulated up and down a stick, achieving
minimum animation in both cases.
á The epic x   

x   
,, Tamil literature from the Sangam Era, and
various literary, including Ashokan edicts, describe puppets.
á Some scholars trace the origin of puppets to India 4000 years ago,
where the main character in Sanskrit plays was known as
"Sutradhara", "the holder of strings".
á In Srimad Rhagvata, the God Almighty has been likened to a
puppeteer who with three strings ± Sattva, Rajas and Tamas ±
manipulates all the beings in the created universe.
á There are a number of evidences to prove that puppetry reached
great heights in India as long back as in the early centuries R. . An
unmistakable refereence to puppetry is found in the Tamil classic
Silappadikaram written around 2nd century R. .
á The early puppet shows in India dealt mostly with histories of great
kings, princes and heroes and also political satire in rural areas.
Religious portrayals in puppetry developed in South India with
shadow puppet performances of stories from Ramayana and
Mahabharata.
á Even today, especially in Kerala, shadow puppet is a temple ritual
performed every year during a temple festival for a specified
duration.

à

á India has a wealthy of puppet styles and techniques.

á The four basic forms of puppetry in India are:

1. Rod puppets (Putul Naach)
2. String puppets (Sutradharika)
3. Glove puppets
4. Shadow puppets ( hhaya Putli)

In fact these styles encompass all the known forms of puppetry.

Resides these, we also have the use of large figures covering the
human body and exaggerating it akin to some contemporary
puppet theatres.

So broadly, puppetry could be µtraditional¶ or µcontemporary¶ based on

etymology, themes etc.
÷ 

à



Most traditional Indian puppetry
can be broadly divided into
religious or balladic forms,
encompassing court life as many
of the puppet theatres of Asia and
Japan do, or religious epics from
the Ramayana and Mahabharata,
to local classics and social themes.
Each style bears the imprint of its
area or state it comes from-
from-the use
of colours, forms, materials used
and the idiom of movement and
sounds.
©
  à



á With the progress and development of civilization, the
mysticism connected with traditional puppetry slowly
started to fade which was replaced with an element of
entertainment. Slowly, this art form emerged from the
precincts of the temple and villages to reach out to the
outside world performing on various social and
contemporary themes in Indian towns and cities.

Let us explore the forms of puppetry as they exist in the

different regions of India«.
Œ

á Glove puppetry is called pavakathakali in Kerala.
á The puppeteers have adapted the dance stories of kathakali. The
head and arms are carved out of wood; the head is manipulated
by the index finger and the arms are moved by the thumb and the
middle finger.
á The conventions of kathakali character types in respect to
costumes, headgear, make-
make-up and color are followed in
pavakathakali. A green face indicates a god, king or hero,
whereas a red face indicates a villain. The musical instruments
consist of drums, cymbals and a conch shell.
á Shadow puppetry is called tolpavakuthu in Kerala.
á The leather puppets are traditionally performed by the Vellala
hetty, the Nair and Ganaka communities. The performers are
known as Pulavars, the scholars or poets. The theme, the story of
Rama from his birth to his coronation, is performed from seven to
twenty--one nights.
twenty
á The performance is a part of temple festivities and is conducted
with a series of rituals. At least five artists are required to
manipulate the puppets to cover the twelve meters long screen.
The puppets made of deer skin are opaque and small, about
fortyeight to eighty centimeters high.
 A tolpavakuthu performance
Note how the puppets are illuminated
J  

á String puppetry is called kathputli in Rajasthan.

á The heads of the puppets are carved from mango wood. They are up
to sixty centimeters tall, costumed in the Rajasthani style, with bodies
made of cloth and stuffed rags.
á They are manipulated with only one string, one end of which is
attached to the puppet's head and the other to its back. The string is
looped around the puppeteer's finger and all
á movements are generated by a series of jerks on either end. The
puppeteers are 'bhats', a wandering community; they believe in a
divine origin of their art, claiming to be the chief performers during
the reign of the legendary king Vikramaditya, whose life and
achievements they extolled.
á The stories mostly revolve around the exploits of local heroes. Amar
Singh Rathore, the ruler in the seventeenth century, was a great
patron whose heroic deeds and death are sung and enacted. He
appears at the court of emperor Akbar, along with other Hindu 'rajas'.
Tricks and turns are performed for their royal amusement by a
magician, an acrobat, a horse rider, a snakecharmer, etc.
The audience participation in
traditional puppetry is an interesting
feature, seen almost all over the
country. In the Rajasthani string
puppet show, for instance, the rural
audience is easily provoked into
singing and dancing along with the
puppets. Quite often, both adults and
children enter into a dialogue with the
puppeteers and the latter have to be
ready with quick-witted answers.

Rajasthani Kathputli
Π
 
á String puppetry is called yakshagana
gombeyata and resembles the
Yakshagana theater performances,
especially in regard to the themes,
the structure of performance, music,
costumes and make-
make-up.
á Episodes from the epics are the
theme. The puppet is manipulated
with six strings, two each attached to
the ears, knee joints and hands.
á These pairs are tied to three small
wooden sticks, held in the hands of
the manipulator who also sings for
the character he manipulates.
Musical accompaniment consists of
drums, cymbals and a shawm.
Gombeyata ± the puppets from Karnataka are closest in
form, structure and technique to European marionettes
`
  
á Shadow puppetry is called tolubommalata.
á The leather puppets are large and brightly colored. The puppeteers
speak, sing and dance for the characters they manipulate standing
up.
á They are accompanied by a harmonium, drum and cymbals. Their
ankle--belled feet stamp on two wooden planks, one on top of the
ankle
other, to keep rhythm or for sound effects. The men and women in
the group sing and speak for respective male and female
characters. The stage is made with transparent cloth tied to poles on
three sides. The story is from the Ramayana, and comic relief with
local gossip and caustic comments on the contemporary situation is
provided by clownesque characters.
á String puppetry is called koyya bommalata, literally: 'wooden doll' .
The musical instruments are a harmonium, a drum and cymbals.
G
á Shadow puppetry is called ravanachhaya, literally: 'the shadow of
Ravana'. The shadows are created by simple opaque leather
puppets. Deer skin is used for divine beings, while the skin of
mountain goats and sheep is used for all the other figures. The
leather is not scraped fully and the puppets are not painted; the
dark silhouette, delicately outlined, is defined by very few incisions
for clothing and jewellery. They are small, with no joints. The
manipulation is simple, with up and down and sideways swinging
movements. Illusion of size is achieved by the distance of the
puppet from the screen.
á The performers are from the 'bhat' community, whose ancestors
were musicians and officers in the local royal courts.
á In Orissa, string puppets are called sakhinata.
á The small puppets have three strings which are attached to a small
wooden rod: one for the head and two for the hands. Puppetry is a
speciality of the Kela; this ethnic group is also known for its diviners,
snake charmers and magicians.
á Rod puppetry is called M
Y
M
Y .. The puppets measure up to
sixty centimeters and are jointed at the shoulders. The wooden rod
holds up the head, which is carved in wood and painted. The
shoulder joints are connected with strings from inside the torso of
the puppet to two rings which are pulled for arm movements.

Rod puppets String Puppets




á Glove puppetry is called benir putul. The two male and female
characters, with terracotta faces and wooden hands, are constantly
sparring with each other. The puppets keep the rhythm with bells or
cymbals tied to their wrists. The repertoire is from the epics, with
some modern, topical touches added to keep pace with the times, be
it an anti-
anti-smoking message or a projection of new roles for women.
á Rod puppetry is called danger putul ± mythological themes. There is
the operatic singing, broad gestures, the declamatory delivery of
dialogue and ornate costuming.
©
  à



á While the Glove, Rod, String and
Shadow puppetry have been rooted
in their own traditions, the
contemporary puppeteers in India
have diverse genesis and are not
steeped in any single tradition.
á These puppeteers, mostly urban-
urban-
based, derived initially their
inspiration from traditional puppetry
or from overseas. Most of them, in
fact, began their careers in such
disciplines as painting, dance,
design, etc. and came into puppetry
without any family background or
formal training. On the contrary,
once they adopted puppetry, many
proceeded to become thorough
professionals.
` 
  

á The main aspects of entertainment for contemporary puppetry are:
profusion of gimmicks (special lighting effect, smoke-
smoke-screens,
magical appearance and disappearance); use of modern
contraptions (change of stage and setting, mechanical means for
sophisticated manipulation of puppets); interventions by jokers
(carrying a lamp on the head, over-
over-sized or under
under--sized in
appearance); mixing of puppet categories (mixing rod with gloves,
traditional puppets with human moppets, R  M with moppets);
inter--mingling of live persons and puppet characters (to create
inter
comic effects, to make serious commentary, to be narrator); use of
symbolic objects (shoes, long cloth-
cloth-pieces, red colour to
symbolise blood-
blood-flow); use of elaborate music (ranging far and
wide, from the East to the West); black theatre (using black lamp
to show floating or flying motions against dark background); and
so on.

  
© 
 

á Traditional puppet theatre has always paid attention to

entertainment for the masses, even when it caters to any
educational or religious needs.
á Use of puppetry in advertisement and publicity has not yet caught
as much imagination as in the West, as is evident from the
absence of showcase puppetry in our shops. What are more
common are live persons dressed up as puppets and moving
around in the department stores in big cities.
á Puppetry in television has been used for promoting family
planning, creating bank savings, providing insurance cover for
poultry and pig-
pig-farm, etc. A recent effort was to create a
videocassette for the campaign during the assembly elections
using puppet-
puppet-based political characters.
2  
á Puppetry can be quite an important art form for the mass media.
Television programmes and film- film-features have made many
experiments with participation of men and animals through
puppetry, -- for publicity and entertainment.
á Puppet films have, in fact, become quite a rival to cartoon films,
because the former are three-
three-dimensional and easy to create.
Resides, a variety of movements can be displayed by different
categories of puppets, which are not easy to capture in the
cartoon films.
á Puppetry can be a powerful tool for inducing social action and
bringing in social change ± especially w.r.t sensitive social issues.
Puppetry can convey messages through its tragic and comic
themes reflecting the realities of society and its environment.
Traditional puppetry in India has a built-
built-in value system, which is
in consonance with the Indian social ethos. The ·m  puppets
in Rihar are quite explicit about socially correct activities
permissible in heaven and wrong activities debarred from it.