Glove puppets are also known as sleeve, hand or palm puppets. They are small figures with head and arms wearing a long, flowing skirt as a costume. The puppets are generally made of cloth or wood, but some variations of paper puppet have also been seen. The puppeteer wears the puppet as a glove, manipulating the head with his index finger. The two hands are manipulated using the thumb and the middle finger – giving life and expression to the originally limp puppet.
Glove puppets are popular all across India, with the performance usually accompanied by rhythmic beats of drum or dholak. A popular example of glove puppetry in India is:
Pavakoothu
It is the traditional glove puppet show of Kerala. It originated in the period around 18th century A.D. The puppets are decorated with colourful headgears, feathers and face paints, which is evidence of a heavy influence of Kathakali dance form. The plays are themed around narrations of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Rod Puppets
Rod puppets are larger variations of glove puppet and are controlled by rods by the puppeteer from behind a screen. It is mainly popular in the region of Eastern India. Some of the popular examples are:
Yampuri
It is the traditional rod puppet of Bihar. The puppets are generally made of wood and are without any joints. They are carved out of a single piece of wood and then painted and dressed in bright colours.
Putul Nachh
It is the traditional rod puppet dance of Bengal-Odisha-Assam region. The figures are generally 3-4 ft. high and dressed as characters of Jatra. They generally have three joints – at the neck and at the shoulders.
The puppeteers, each of whom controls a single puppet by means of a rod attached to his waist, are placed behind a high curtain. The puppeteers move around behind the curtain, imparting similar movements to the puppets. The performance is accompanied by a musical troop of 3-4 musicians playing harmonium, cymbals and tabla.
