Rashmi Rekha Das, OP
Swamped by the electronic media and the virtual world, puppet theatre, a popular form of entertainment that combines visual appeal with the power of storytelling, is in rapid decline today.
Puppet theatre, known as ‘Kandhei Nacha,’ was once the most popular form of entertainment in villages, especially for children.Entertaining throughout, the shows combined visual appeal with the power of storytelling. Using string puppets, puppeteers depicted stories of rural people, their lifestyles, religious beliefs, and much more.
Sadly, the puppetry tradition is gradually fading away. The lack of patronage, modernisation and invasion of other forms of entertainment has hit this folk tradition. Moreover, the growing interest in the virtual world has taken children away from this art form. In fact, many of them, especially in the urban areas, may have never seen a puppet show.
In such an adverse scenario, some efforts are being made to revive the puppet tradition in the state. Sunday POST visited Badakodanda village and met a few puppeteers who are working hard to keep the traditional art form alive.
Badakodanda village in the Ganjam district is often described as the ‘The Motherland of Puppetry’ in Orissa. From here, puppetry spread to different parts of the state. Over the years, however, as films and TV took away audiences, puppet theatre fell into decline in the state.Tickets stopped selling, and the puppets were stored away in village warehouses. Theatres were shut down and the artistes and people associated with puppetry had to look for other means of livelihood. While those with some resources started tea stalls, vegetable shops and paanshops, others had no choice but to opt for daily wage labour.
Meet puppeteer Chaitanya Behera. Innovative and creative, he can write scripts befitting the interest of his clients and give his dolls the desired shapes. He has also done many awareness raising shows for reputed NGOs working in the region. Chaitanya blames the lack of patronage by the government for the decline of puppetry in the state. The government hardly does anything to provide a quality life to puppeteers, he says. “I learnt this art from my father the late Bira Behera and elder brother Khadala Behera. As a child, I would sometimes accompany my father to puppet shows. As far as I remember, it was Bankanidhi Sahu who established a doll factory at our place 70 years ago. My elder brother was working as its director. Bankanidhi Sir sold the factory for some reason after which my brother decided to conduct puppet shows. Following the death of my brother, I set up an institution Maa Jagat Janani Kandhei Theatre to preserve the traditional art form,” he says.
“From 2003, we stopped travelling to different villages for shows due to the lack of interest among people. It is tough to keep the art alive when more attractive forms of entertainment are available round the clock on the electronic media. We get Rs 3,000 per show and do four-five shows in a year. So our earnings from this art form are simply not enough.
Besides, as a puppet artist, you have to repair dolls, colour them and pay the expenses of people who play music instruments and operate puppets. “Therefore, we have to depend on other sources of income. My two sons keep up the family tradition, but they are not solely dependent on it for their livelihood. They are mechanics.”
He remains hopeful that the tradition can revive if the government provides support.
Another puppeteer Sushant Kumar Panigrahi says, “Puppetry is the only art form which involves many activities. From carpentry to drawing and painting, from plaster cast making to clay modeling, from costume designing to stage management which includes a good sound and light system. Most important of all, the story idea, writing and dramatisation of scripts, song and musical composition, and an instant addition or adaptation on demand, finding viable markets for the shows…all these need talent and manpower.”
Recalling the golden days when puppetry still held public imagination, he says, “In the 60s, our forefathers did shows travelling from house to house to enchant people with stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Later on, they took their shows to different fairs. But after the advent of television and other entertainment media, this folk theatre form witnessed a slow death. The government’s lackadaisical attitude to the plight of puppeteers is another reason for the decline. Many artistes are forced to opt for other income sources due to the lack of government support. I run an institution Shri Durga Madhab Kandhei Opera. However, in this cut-throat competitive market, Rs. 15,000-20,000 per month is not enough to comfortably manage my five-member household. That’s why I work as a sharecropper to support my family.”
Puppeteer Hadubandhu Bisoi, who has set up the Maa Byaghra Devi Kandhei Opera, now plays the organ at spiritual musical events. He says, “In the past, puppeteers would enchant the audience with stories that had mythological, historical and social themes and they enjoyed widespread popularity. Though the government is aware that puppet theatre is in rapid decline, it does not do anything significant to help in its revival. Puppet theatre has been facing stiff competition from cinema, television, video and computers.Today, there are few takers for puppet shows. Many artists are choosing to leave the profession as they find it difficult to make ends meet.”
Fifty-one year old Ajay Bisoi, who has been fascinated by puppet theatre since he was a child, tells a touching story that illustrates his commitment to the art. “In 2010, my son and I went to Bikash, an educational institution in Bhubaneswar, to conduct a puppet show. On our way home, we met with a road accident which took my son’s life. The incident left me in a state of shock but I did not stop performing the art as I worship it. So, it pains me that no one has come forward to revive this traditional art and give a boost to the artists who are leading a life of penury.”
“Puppeteers are dwindling in number but they still have the power to hold people in thrall, not just in the villages but also in the cities. This must be one of the reasons why the government has been using puppetry to popularise its flagship programmes, such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and to spread awareness on HIV-AIDS, human trafficking, malaria and deforestation,” says Ajay.
Today, the curtains are down for the art of puppetry. The dolls and theatrical infrastructure have been consigned to the storehouses of the villagers whose ancestors once proudly owned them. Stored in rusty tin boxes, the puppets, symbols of a traditional form of entertainment, are desperately crying for official patronage.
Pic courtesy: Babula Pradhan.
Puppet Tales
Orissa is perhaps the only Indian state with four forms of puppetry— shadow puppetry; rod puppetry, where wooden puppets are hoisted up on stage with a metal rod attached to their body covered by flowing garments; glove puppetry or ‘Sakhi Kandhei Nata,’ with the index finger becoming the head and the middle finger and thumb the arms of the puppet; and, string puppetry, where the puppets are made to dance with the help of strings attached to their limbs.
The Badakodanda artistes perform string puppetry which is known as ‘Gopaleela Kandhei.’The stories are all about Lord Krishna’s childhood exploits in Gopapura. The various episodes include Krishna’s birth, Putana Baddha, Kalia Dalan, Bakasura Badha and Rasaleela with Gopis.
History has it that string puppetry or Gopaleela was the family tradition among a community known as Ahir Kelas in the coastal districts of Orissa. They used to perform at social and religious functions hosted by the rich families in villages. On invitation, they also used to visit different villages. However, over a period of time, they opted for other more lucrative professions to make a living. Another community of Kelas, a nomadic tribe in the Bonai, Bamananda, Dhenkanal areas of Orissa, primarily snake charmers, also used to perform Gopaleela. They were known as Brititias. Like their counterparts in the coastal districts, they used to perform episodes from Mathura Mangal, not to the accompaniment of ‘dholak’ but of the ‘damru.’
Both these communities, however, have abandoned their profession of string puppetry. Then, a few people from Badakodanda began presenting puppet shows based on mythological episodes. They introduced modern stage equipment and props and musical instruments like clarinet, harmonium and kettle drums. With a musical band and bigger puppets, they used to travel throughout the state and present ticketed shows at fairs and festivals. They were mostly inspired by the ‘Geeti Natya’ (operatic folk play) tradition, which was then very popular. These groups thrived for more than two decades till the seventies of the last century when the onslaught of other media sent them into decline. Only a few groups remain now.