The best of puppeteers around the world are probably packing their bags now for a trip to scenic Tolosa, in Spain. For, United Internationale De La Marionnette (UNIMA), one of the oldest and prestigious puppeteers’ organisation headquartered in Prague, is organising the World Puppetry Festival from May 28 to June 5. According to the website, puppetry groups from Japan, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, South Africa, France and Italy are set to perform. India, which has a history of puppetry dating back to over 2,000 years , unfortunately, is not on the list.
The UNIMA event is one among the hundreds of puppetry festivals that happen worldwide — the biggest probably is Charleville Mezieres in France that sees as many as 350 puppeteers performing 600 shows in 40 different venues, annually. With the many sponsored puppeteer-meet-ups round the year, globetrotting for festivals has become a usual thing among puppeteers, even the traditional rod/string/glove/shadow ones of South India.
Bhaskar Kogga Kamath, son of renowned string puppeteer Kogga Kamath from Karnataka, has performed in around 20 countries in the last two decades. Kerala-based G. Venu, founder of the only existing pava kathakali (glove) puppetry group in the world, has lost count of his visits. Chennai-based shadow puppeteer S. Seethalakshmi, who was trained in Thalu Bommalattam (shadow puppetry) by popular puppeteer M.V. Ramanamurthy, rolls out an approximate number of visits: 50. A fat trunk stuffed with dolls from across the globe, and a showcase full of certificates inside her house stand proof. “I don’t even know how to speak in English, but thanks to my leather puppets, I have gone to countries that people can only dream of,” she says, spreading out life size leather puppets handmade by her.
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They are among the few lucky ones who have managed to get sponsorships and support to continue with their art.
For example, Seethalakshmi earned a regular income by working at Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai, while simultaneously pursuing her art. Bhaskar Kamath, who left his bank job to pursue the Yakshagana puppetry, runs an academy to train local students, and is financially supported by Sudha Murthy, chairperson of Infosys. “She has helped us stay afloat. The festival visits do not give us any remuneration. My ancestors have dedicated their whole life to this art; now it is my responsibility. After me, I fear who will take care of the 1,000 odd puppets.”
On the other hand, many troupes such as those of string puppetry artist Chenna Krishna (from Salem) haven’t been able to showcase their generations-old art beyond the periphery of their village. The reason? “Transport cost. Each puppet weighs around 20 kg, and we need at least 20 of them . The amount we invest in transporting them to the venue would match the amount paid for our performance,” he rues. “Our troupe even got a chance to perform in South Africa. But we couldn’t go. Firstly, we did not have passports, and secondly, we found it rude to pack the dolls, and leave them as part of the luggage in the flight. They are our gods,” he says.
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There is a huge gap in the community. While a few puppeteers are celebrated, some remain tucked away in their villages refusing to adapt. There needs to be a change in attitude, says educationist and puppeteer R. Bhanumathi, founder, Pavai Centre for Puppetry. “One of the reasons why the art is dwindling is a lack of connect among the audience with the subject. Most still perform stories from epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharatha . They are not ready to package it in a new way. And since this is an art form that is orally passed on, most take it up as a family profession, hesitating to pass on the knowledge to others. Now, since most youngsters are educated and have taken to other jobs, the art might vanish in the longer run,” she says.
There are a few organisations that are desperately trying to prevent that. Delhi-based Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust started by Padma Shri awardee and president of UNIMA, Dadi Pudumjee, organises an International festival every year; Sangeet Natak Akademi conducts a National puppetry festival called Putul Yatra; and there’s Dhaatu, a classical and traditional puppet theatre started by Anupama and Vidyashankar Hoskere, which organises an annual festival.
DakshinaChitra Society (Chennai), Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) also play a role. “It is a challenge to help them survive. We can chip in in small ways wherever possible, but the local Governments and corporates need to do a lot more,” says Pudumjee over a call from Delhi.
Meanwhile, over the last 30 decades, there has been a new wave of contemporary puppeteers, who specialise in ‘applied puppetry’ — the art of using puppetry as a tool to convey important messages — be it environment issues, AIDS awareness or child abuse. Bhanumathi, puppeteer Meena Naik, and Pudumjee himself are among the few forerunners in the field. Organisations such as Ishara Trust and Pavai also organise workshops, training programmes and productions that involve school students.
Four common types of puppets
Glove: These are made of wood, paper or terracotta, and have no legs. The faces and the costumes are fashioned after local customs. Mostly found in Kerala, West Bengal, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Rod: They are three dimensional wooden figures cast onto rods. Found in West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand among others.
String: The most common form of puppetry in India, it involves controlling puppets using wires or strings. Found in Rajasthan, Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam, Orissa, Tripura, Manipur, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
Shadow: Figures cut out of leather are held between a source of light and translucent screen. Found in West Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka