Religion takes the first place in the perception race of cultural popularity/impact. And I believe we can claim the second place to the grand art of storytelling, widely and creatively explored throughout the world in myriad ways. From fictional stories to stories oriented in religious scriptures, epics and legends, creative minds since centuries have invented and presented ways of storytelling that have become an element of culture. Some such techniques have withstood the test of time; some not as much. Lingering somewhere in the latter category is the art of Puppetry that once aced the popularity game but is now a rare find. There are families in the country that are preserving the art and documenting their past glory; but the community impact of Puppetry that made it culturally important, can be stated to have diminished.
The origin of Puppetry can be traced back to the era between 2nd century BC – 2nd century AD, when ‘Natyashastra’ was published. The text uses the term ‘Sutradhara’ which essentially means ‘puppeteer’, the artist who manipulates the puppets in a show and presents a story. Also, the texts of Mahabharata, Panini’s Grammar and Patanjali’s texts present references to puppetry in different ways, indicating that the art form has existed from times that the scriptures were created, or perhaps even before. As for the legends associated with the origin of puppetry, there are two popular ones in Indian epics. One Rajasthani legend states that Lord Bramha created a puppeteer for his entertainment, but was unsatisfied with what he presented; so the puppeteer was banished to earth, giving rise to a lineage of puppeteers here. The second legend states that it was Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi, who impersonated themselves in two wooden dolls created by an artist on earth, and danced until they had their hearts’ fill. When they left the dolls, the artist was rather sad to see the dolls lifeless again, so he created a way to make them dance again and thus puppetry was born.
Puppetry, thus validated, is one of the earliest forms of entertainment known to man. Until modern times, the art has revolved around stories from the epics or fictional stories that mirrored the times they were created in; until recently where governmental initiatives have introduced awareness programs and infomercials into the art in some parts of the country. Other than the inclusion of social elements to stories, the art form has not seen many changes through the ages except for the stage lighting – performers used natural lighting such as oil lamps in earlier times and later switched to electrical lighting in the modern times.
One reason why puppetry has not changed much is because it is an art form that has been transferred down to generations in the same family. Many of the puppeteers who perform today have a long family history in the art. They learn young to create the puppets and master the art of manipulation as child apprentices. The art of manipulation, in fact, is extremely difficult to learn in a restricted amount of time or as a past-time hobby. It requires a great deal of dedication, concentration and presence of mind alongside physical agility to be a master puppeteer. Physical agility matters especially in puppetry shows made in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu where string puppets performing epic stories are widely popular. The puppeteer himself ties the anklets to his feet and dances to the rhythm, such that it seems like the puppets are dancing. They make it seem easy and natural; the backstage skills are anything but.
India has prominently four types of puppetry – string puppets, shadow puppets, rod puppets and glove puppets. The names of the art forms themselves suggest the way the puppets are manipulated in their respective performances. String puppets are the most popular in Rajasthan, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, while shadow puppets are popular in temple fairs of Kerala. Rod puppets, manipulated with a rod to which the puppets are tethered from the bottom, and glove puppets which are manipulated worn on hands, can be seen spread out as a form of entertainment in Northern parts of India.
‘Yakshagana Gombeyaata’ is the most popular form of puppetry in Karnataka, native to the state and easily connectible to the populace, thanks to its derivation from the folk art of Yakshagana. Yakshagana puppets are created to resemble the very Yakshagana artists in miniature form and manipulated through strings to present stories from epics and legends. The extremely colourful, loud and dynamic shows indulge audiences from young to old. The creative exploration in manipulation of puppets is rather amazing as elements such as flying characters (like Garuda), chariots, vehicles of divine characters etc too are incorporated and manipulated with realistic movement. There are only very few remaining Yakshagana Gombeyaata artists in Karnataka, two of whom receive repeated media coverage thanks to their creative expansion – Sri Gopalakrishna Yakshagana Bombeyaata Sangha, Kasaragod and Uppinakudru Puppet Academy. The former was recently in news for their innovation of ‘Coronasura’ – a Yakshagana attire clad monster that impersonated the COVID-19 virus. A story around it was created to spread awareness against the virus and the techniques to defeat the monster in Yakshagana format. The video of the puppet show of ‘Coronasura’ received great acclamation.
Media reports state that there are just about eight remaining Yakshagana Gombeyaata artists located in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Kasargod; while the same region had more than 30 artist groups three decades ago. The decline in the number of artists and puppet shows has subtly caught the attention of the government to draw in some sponsorships and shows, but not merely enough to conserve the art form. Whatever remnants of the ancient art form we can manage to find, we’re at a point where we must hold on to them and find ways to rekindle the love for the art.
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