CHENNAI : Mythological marionettes of Hanuman, 10-faced Ravana, and Rama with bow and arrow — what stands out in the shadow puppetry program by INTACH is the action and modulation of 20 puppets by a single puppeteer. The set blends comics and culture, featuring Sundara kandam of Ramayana at the Alliance Francaise, Nungambakkam, on Wednesday. Muthuchandran Rao, the sixth-generation puppet artiste, fascinates spectators with the lifelike movement of puppets and their hilarious puns.
Far from mainstream entertainment, the programme sparks hope for regional puppeteers to soak in and revive their livelihood of puppeteers. “Our mission is to live with harmony and heritage. It includes methods to sustain the families of these intangible artiste and provide support of livelihood through such gatherings,” says Sujatha, founder of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a non-profit organisation to protect India’s natural intangible heritage.
Kalaimamani recipient Muthuchandran appreciates INTACH’s gesture of preserving their traditional performing arts, for the seventh time at Chennai. The Raos migrated from Maharashtra during the Maratha reign and settled in Thanjavur following their ancestral craft of storytelling.
His journey to becoming a puppeteer started at the age of 27 after his father’s demise. “Until the age of 19, we’ve been a nomadic family moving from place to place, performing the art in villages, while residing there for a month. The only means to our living has been puppetry for generations,” he shares.
Of bliss and celebration
In ancient context, puppetry was not just a means of entertainment but was deeply intertwined with the local customs, beliefs, and religious practices. The art was associated with bringing a divine bliss of rainfall to the famine-stricken regions, featuring stories at the carnivals, and depicting cultural and historical events.
However, with the rise of digital media, the entertainment industry is diversified with television, video games, and the Internet, suppressing the cultural tapestry of puppetry. Unlike digital storytelling and cinema, these traditional performing arts are considered to be “resource intensive”. In recent times, certain styles of Tholpavaikoothu are still being performed, weaving stories to propagate public awareness on social issues such as HIV, women empowerment, education, and hygiene. “We also curate new themes based on the ideas we get from people for weddings and birthday parties. The future themes planned for public awareness are road safety and drug addiction among the youth,” he shares.
The troupe bewitches the front-seated screen-agers with the banter between the brother puppets, exchanging humorous remarks. The teacher puppet, Komali, gets a laugh out of the mispronunciation of numbers in different languages. “We often observe children becoming addicted to screens which can hinder their ability to perform physical activities. Observing kids enjoy such off-screen programmes is a subtle joy for us,” shares Ramya, a Montessori teacher who attended the event.
Pioneers of storytelling
Predating the invention of cinema, puppeteers are considered the original filmmakers, manipulating puppets in front of a light screen. It is a multi-layered realm of art that involves the setting up of light resources, imagination, dialogues, design, and music.
As a token of respect for them, RV Ramani, a renowned filmmaker, shot a documentary Nee Enge in 2013, on the confluence of the lives of puppeteers from different states of India, featuring Muthuchandran’s grandfather as well. “I treat puppetry as the beginning of cinema and wanted to compliment the communities for practicing and preserving the art form. The title means ‘Where are you’ which questions the current conditions of puppeteers. The only hope to sustain these artiste is by having them perform at our small social gatherings,” says Ramani.
Ending the event on a memorable note, Muthuchandran and his team distributed small cartoon puppets of Ben10 and Motu Patlu to curb screen addiction among kids. The programme wrapped up with a message urging the audience to not forget their roots in the din and bustle of modern life.