BHUBANESWAR: In a profession defined by discipline and routine, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of police Sanjeet Kumar Nayak has found an unusual path of creativity. Posted at Rajnagar police station in Kendrapara district, the 41-year-old officer takes out time from his busy schedule to make puppets using coconut shells.
A native of Naguan village in Korei block of Jajpur district, Sanjeet has long been connected with culture. A trained Odissi dancer, a theatre student and a professional player of the local instrument ‘Kendra’, he also founded an organisation called LOKA in 2023 to take theatre to common people. “I saw many theatre groups performing with puppets but very few making them anymore. The materials were not easily available, and the craft was dying. I decided to focus on the creation process to bring it back,” he said.
His art revolves around ‘Sakhi Kandhei’ or glove puppetry, where performers wear the figures on their hands like gloves. Sanjeet uses coconut shells, locally called ‘Sadhei’, collected from villages, markets or temples to make puppet heads. Cardboard forms the hands, while locally sourced jute dyed in bright colours forms the hair. Sometimes crepe or finer fibres are used for a polished look. Costumes made out of old sarees and scrap clothes are stitched by the family members.
The process is painstaking. Shells are cut, joined and polished before soaked cartons are pulped into facial features. A coat of clay or white cement mixed with kaian atha (tamarind seed gum) gives a smooth finish. After drying in the sun or lightly over fire, the puppets are painted with acrylic or water colours. Prices start from Rs 300-Rs 500 and can go higher depending on the quality. In the last five to six years, Sanjeet has made over 100 puppets featuring Radha-Krishna, Ganesha and village folk.
His wife, Sonali Das belongs to a family of idol makers. “Her grandfather was a skilled idol maker. She knows the consistency of clay, the preparation of gums and the finishing touches. She is the backbone of this initiative,” Sanjeet said with pride.
With no formal training, he learnt puppetry by observing theatre groups and experimenting. Today, he conducts small sessions for children and elders, showing how to make puppets and stage plays. “With some practice, anyone can put up a puppet play in a day. When a child holds a puppet, it is a living story in their hands, not just pixels on a screen,” he said. Some of his creations have reached theatre groups and organisations in and outside the state, though he admits that very few groups use puppets now.
Sanjeet is building a cultural hub on his ancestral land at Naguan. A 1,500 sq ft house with a veranda, stage and playground will serve as both home and training space where art and education meet. “Children will be invited during vacations to stay, eat simple meals with the family, and learn puppet making. My dream is to have a hall filled with a thousand puppets where children stage their own stories,” he shared.
Through LOKA, he plans to work with schools so that puppets become part of classroom learning, especially for rhymes and stories. He believes the next generation is the true custodian of this art and if children are given puppets the way they are given toys, puppet theatre will survive.