Which child has not been charmed by the puppets on Sesame Street or Ali Baba Chalis Chor? Puppetry has entertained and educated audiences of all ages since times immemorial – on strings and rods, in gloves and shadows, with performers and humanettes, the world of puppetry brings alive thoughtful stories. Recently a company is selling chocolates through a commercial where two young puppeteers are having fun at work.
“Puppetry can say a lot of things that a human or actor cannot on sensitive issues,” says Dadi Pudumjee who perfectly pulled the right strings, in an electrifying performance showcasing the concepts of Zoroastrianism. The visual performance titled Ma’Arfet- The Awakening was inspired by the Zoroastrian mythology. His puppets made the audience see, hear and feel a battle between the good and the evil with a blend of music and special effects.
To further understand the nuances of puppetry, we got hold of the ace puppeteer, who is the Managing Trustee and Artistic Director of Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust.
Edited excerpts:
Is puppetry a dying art form or things are changing?
It has grown over the time. Slowly but steadily. Lot of new work is being done, but more needs to be done. Even the traditional puppeteers are trying out new techniques and some modern groups are also evolving. Each person, director, artists are working in their own stream. Like some are doing educational work with puppets, others are engaged in doing therapy work and many similar performances.
How can we nurture the relationship between the audience and puppetry?
We need training centres and schools of puppetry to encourage young people and teachers to pursue this field. More such platforms are required, like our annual festival. We definitely, need some ABCD of this technique, so as to make people aware about this art. This is how new work will carve the way for people who wish to try, understand and venture into it more.
How challenging is to narrate a story through puppetry when youngsters are hooked on to films, TV and fashion?
It is not just puppetry; it is for all performing arts. TV and films have their own place. Challenge depends on each director; they make their own audience. But, the initiative has to be from both sides – for the audience to come and see something and for the artists to create new things in different ways. In short, the medium and the message should meet.
How difficult is it to convey messages through puppetry?
Puppetry is storytelling. It is one of the mediums but it is objective theatre. It depends what message you are trying to put across. Puppetry can say a lot of things that a human and a live actor cannot on sensitive issues. We at Ishara use puppets as a tool for social awareness on issues like HIV/AIDS, substance abuse and discrimination. All this further catalyses the process of discussion. Sometimes the message is heavy and the visual is not there or the other way round.
I use puppets to tell stories, combine them with other mediums of shadow theatre, actors, dance, visual theatre, masks. After a long time I am using texts; otherwise I prefer using visual theatre with poetry, music with movement and objects. So it depends on person to person.
While choosing a puppet what specific attributes you consider to present an idea?
It depends on the director as some use miniatures, big-big figures, sometimes paper theatre which is two dimensional and some use the traditional form to create new stories. Every puppeteer has his own technique and style. Modern ones use different material to tell stories and everyone is free to try.
How do you see the State’s role in preserving this art form?
Puppetry is still considered a minor form though we speak a lot about it. But that needs to convert into action. We don’t need museums to preserve puppetry. We need to nurture artists. Not just puppetry, but all art forms. And it shouldn’t be just one-sided or just one type of performance or theme. India is extremely pluralistic and has various techniques. It also has rich tradition, both religious and folkloric. Nowhere in the world, there is such a variety and we all and the State must do efforts to keep that alive.