DHENKANAL: As the fine art of puppetry has slipped to the verge of extinction, one man, Susant Dhal, from a nondescript village of Rahidhi in Dhenkanal district has continued to provide the resuscitation to keep the ancient tradition breathing. Thanks to his never-say-die attitude, the signs of a new life infused into the dying art form are becoming more evident.
The 66-year-old puppeteer has devoted his entire life to promoting the craft that has been passed on by generations. He has been practising all the four forms of traditional puppetry - hand, string, rod and shadow, all the odds of fading interest in the folk art and lack of opportunities notwithstanding. Having started his career by narrating mythological tales through puppets, Susant, has been able to rekindle the interest among the people.
His puppets have become messengers of social welfare and development. He is today a much sought after artist by the local administration when it comes to promoting government schemes and creating social awareness through the folk art form. Be it Janani Surakhya, food security scheme, sanitation or mid-day meals, Susant draws a story around every theme with puppets as his main characters. He has so far held over 150 puppetry shows on mid-day meals in eight blocks of Dhenkanal district. He is a one-man army. Besides being a puppeteer, he makes puppets and writes scripts of his shows.
Following his father’s footsteps, he decided to give up education when he was in Class VIII and learn puppetry. Sushant’s family has been into puppetry since 1953 and he took to the profession at the age of 17. While Rahidihi village is currently home to 17 puppetry troupes that have performed throughout the country, Susant is the master trainer and one among the senior-most puppeteers. Prior to the Covid-19 lockdown, the troupes used to earn anywhere between Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 for each show.
Not only are his shows enticing but Susant’s puppets continue to charm collectors. And what makes the puppets unique is the wood. “Rahidihi puppets are made using Paladhua (Erythrina indica) wood which does not break and remains unaffected by pests for ages”, said the artist who is one of the founding members of Kandhei Ghara at Khamara in Talcher.
The Kandhei Ghara is a training centre for 60 to 70 puppeteers from different parts of the State and Susant trains them i n various nuances of puppetry. Puppeteers from West Bengal and Chennai also buy puppets and musical instruments from Susant. While he charges Rs 2,000 for one big puppet, the price for smaller ones range between Rs 1,400 and Rs 1,600. Although his livelihood was hit during the lockdown, he never gave up. All that Susant wants today is a little help and patronage from the government to keep the art alive. “Government should provide incentives to puppet artists here. Only then will the craft survive and grow”, he said.