Glove puppets

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.

Shadow Puppets

India has a rich tradition in shadow puppetry, which has survived till now. Some of the features of shadow puppetry are: Shadow puppets are flat figures cut out of leather.

The figures are painted identically on both sides of the leather.

The puppets are placed on a white screen with light falling from behind, creating a shadow on the screen.

The figures are manipulated so that the silhouettes created on the blank screen create telling imagery.

Some of the popular examples of shadow puppetry are:

Togalu Gombeyatta

 It is the popular shadow theatre of Karnataka. A unique feature of the Togalu Gombayetta puppets is the variation of puppet size based on social status, i.e. kings and religious figures are characterised by large puppets while common people and servants are shown by smaller puppets.

 Ravanchhaya

 It is the most theatrical of shadow puppetry and is a popular form of entertainment in the Odisha region. The puppets are made of deerskin and depict bold dramatic postures. They do not have any joints attached to them, making it a more complex art. There is the use of non-human puppets, such as trees and animals as well. The Ravanchhaya artists are thus extremely trained in their art – creating a lyrical and sensitive theatrical narration.

 Tholu Bommalata

 It is the shadow theatre of Andhra Pradesh. The show is accompanied by a classical background in the music and themed around mythological and devotional tales of the epics and Puranas. The puppets are larger in size and colour on both sides.