Introduction
Before the emergence of modern television, film, and the invention of the camera in India, other forms of art and entertainment existed in this country’s history. The field of drama and theatre around the world has showcased the art of storytelling and acting. The portrayal of different characters, their expressions, and backstories captivates the audience’s curiosity throughout the entire performance. Shakespeare’s screenplays remain famous worldwide for their originality and the beauty of their narratives. In India, the screenplays and dramas written by Kalidasa, Rabindranath Tagore, and other scholars and poets have always mesmerised readers with their works. However, Indian theatrics trace back centuries and are expressed uniquely. This art form is exemplified in puppet shows, which are widespread in regions such as Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. These puppet shows focus on performing plays based on myths and older local stories. The puppet art has been an integral part of India’s oral traditions that still exist today.
Origin of Puppet Making
The art of making puppets and puppetry goes far back in Indian history. There were different narratives and oral traditions in each of the regions. This tradition of puppets emerged largely in Rajasthan, which all began during the reign of Amar Singh Rathode. The puppet show or performance was usually arranged in makeshift tents or ‘tumbadi’ in the city, town, and village. Kings like Amar Singh would arrange these tents specifically for puppeteers to showcase their work to the common people. Bamboo poles would hold up the tents, the puppeteers would control the dolls from behind the curtains, and they would be packed up as soon as the show was over. The ‘kathputli’, this word has been derived from ‘kaath’, which means wood, and ‘putli’, which means toy. These puppet dolls were not entirely made out of wood; materials like fabric and cotton were also used to make these dolls. Only the torso, head, and shoulders were made from wooden material. Then these dolls would be controlled through strands of strings holding the shoulders and head of the dolls by the puppeteers. These artisans would perform not on specific timings, they would choose their own desired timings and locations where they think the audience is most interested in observing their show. They would change themes with each of their show, so any new group of audience would be more interested in watching the show.
The art of making puppets not only flourished in Rajasthan but also extended to different states in India. As mentioned earlier, states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Odisha. These states adopted different styles of presenting and making their puppets, like ‘Kundhei’ from Odisha. This puppet doll is made out of light wood, it wears the same kind of attire as the performers from Jatra drama. These kinds of puppets have more joints compared to the Rajasthan type, which is mainly Kathputli form, and they are controlled by a triangular instrument that gives the puppeteer proper control over the dolls. Likewise, there are puppets from Karnataka, which are ‘Gombeyatta’, ‘Bommalattam’ from Tamil Nadu, ‘Tholu Bommalata’ from Andhra Pradesh, ‘Ravanacchaya’ from Odisha, ‘Putul Nautch’ from West Bengal, ‘Tolpava Koothu’ from Kerala, ‘Chamdyacha Bahulya’ from Maharashtra, ‘Gulabo-Sitabo’ from Uttar Pradesh, ‘Putul Nach’ from Tripura, ‘Putala Nach’ from Assam, and ‘Laithibi Jagoi’ from Tripura.
Types of Puppets in Rajasthan
Background: Before delving into the types of puppets, the roots behind the making of these puppets are more complex than imagined. The puppeteers or puppet players from Rajasthan hail from a caste group called ‘jajmani system’. These artists were also known as ‘Bhat’ or ‘Bhopa’, who were skilled in creating puppet dolls and narrating mythology, history, and everyday life through these puppets. Every artist, who is an expert in their field in Rajasthan, comes from a designated caste group or community, like the musicians, master smiths, and sculptors. In the medieval age, when the Rajputs were at the peak of their power, these puppet players would be well paid by them for performing their plays. The royalty and the rich classes, such as zamindars, would act as patrons of these puppet players. In return for being a patron to these puppet players, these artisans would perform their plays in the praise of their kings and other patrons.
Sutradhar puppets: These kinds of puppets serve as narrators of the story and guide the audience through it. The puppet dolls usually wear traditional attire, which is crucial to their narratives. The Bhopa community is an expert in creating these dolls.
Kathputli puppets: As mentioned earlier, these puppets have torsos, shoulders, and heads made out of wood. The dolls are 60 centimetres in size; the other parts of the dolls are mostly filled with cloth rags. The skirt worn by the doll gives the impression of legs; the attire worn by the doll is medieval age Rajasthani traditional clothing. These puppet dolls were created earlier by artists from Sawai-Madhopur, Basi, and some areas of Udaipur. These days, the dolls are created by the puppeteers themselves. The dolls portray the visual representation of ‘Phad’ or painted scrolls of the ‘bhopa’ that depict the hero Pabuji, who was a 14th-century Rajput king.
To control the doll, two string beds are usually used for the booth to colour embroidered cloth arches or edges to give it the look of a palace. The dolls have one long string attached to their heads and backs, which then goes back to the hands of the puppeteer. The puppeteers wear ghungroos or bracelets of bells, and they use a stick of bamboo to create the puppets’ voices. The puppeteers also use musical instruments like the dholak to give background sound effects to the scenes in the play.
Marionette puppets: These dolls have been more complicated to control compared to others. They have more strings attached to them, and they are specifically created to dance in the plays. The puppeteers are more skilled at controlling the dolls and making them perform action forms like acrobatics.
References to Pop Culture
Nowadays, puppet shows and the art of making puppets has declined over the last years. But they are still looked upon as one of the art forms which represent Rajasthan at the forefront of tourism. In some of the movies like ‘Paheli’, puppets or ‘kathputli’ have been showcased in one of the scenes, portraying the culture of Rajasthan. They are also used for different purposes, like decorations in some spaces of the house, to showcase the culture. During festival seasons like Holi and Diwali, the puppet shows are held in many areas of Rajasthan, which has kept this narrative and cultural tradition alive till now.
Conclusion
The art of making puppets might look outdated for today’s world, still it has represented the culture of Rajasthan and also of many other states of India. Meher Rustom Contractor, Suresh Dutta, Ranjana Pandey, and Dadi Pudumjee have been some of the famous contemporary Indian puppeteers who showcased the talent of this culture in Union Internationale de la Marionnette, one of the renowned unions of puppeteers based in Prague, France. Some of the foreign puppeteers, like Michael Meschke, had taken inspiration from plays and oral tales of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana to improve their performance in this field. A play based on the Jataka tale, ‘Monkey King’, was the result of the inspiration from the two Indian myths. Puppets are used today to showcase modern problems and social issues in educational fields in states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Delhi, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala. It shows that the art of puppet making and tradition will be relevant for times to come.
Sources used:
https://gaatha.com/the-story-of-kathputli/
https://amritmahotsav.nic.in/blogdetail.htm?83
https://itokri.com/blogs/craft-masala-by-itokri/kathputli-wonders-story-of-puppet-craft
https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/articles/puppetry-in-rajasthan/
https://wepa.unima.org/en/union-internationale-de-la-marionnette-unima/