Play of shadow: Puppets in Delhi pull strings of India's rich folk art
At an exhibition titled Chhaya, in Delhi, shadow puppets from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are highlighting episodes from the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
As soon as the lights are on, a galloping golden deer gets hit by an arrow and yelps “Lakshmana”. This is a scene from the Ramayana, which shows the demon-ascetic Maricha disguised as the deer and deployed by Ravana in the plot to avenge God Rama for Surpanakha’s humiliation. All these mythological characters come alive as one walks into an art gallery in Delhi that's showcasing the ongoing exhibition, Chhaya.
It's here that the play of hide and seek with shadows acquires a dramatic meaning as one admires the hand-crafted leather puppets on display. "These 45 exhibits represent characters from not just Ramayana but also Mahabharata," says Siddhartha Tagore, founder of MATI – Management of Art Treasures of India, adding, “I have a large collection of 400 pieces, but couldn't exhibit all. The puppets that I mainly have in this collection are from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, but this art that's now almost dying was also practiced in other southern states like Kerala, Maharasthra, and Odisha, some hundreds of years ago.”
It's intriguing to see the female characters, crafted into shadow puppets, which were also part of the epics. This includes a shadow puppet of Surpanakha. “The religious theme was dominant in this folk art, which thrived in southern India as artists were quite secular, especially in Karnataka,” explains Tagore, sharing, “Some of these displays are in large size (46 inches to 76 inches) whereas others are in medium size (21 inches to 45 inches) and small size (10 inches to 20 inches).”
One can't help but marvel at the craftmanship of the detailing in the displayed shadow puppets. “It takes a month to create one puppet,” informs Khande Bhaskar Rao, from Andhra Pradesh. He is the fourth generation artistan pursuing this craft and shares how tedious is the process to create a single shadow puppet. Rao explains, “Leather is first washed in hot and cold water. It's then dried in the sunlight before processing. The character is then created on it with the use of black pencil. Phir needle se drawing karke, punching hoti hai and bamboo pe place karke cutwork ke baad colouring. The movement in the puppets is created with stitching. The puppet is then placed on a bamboo stick and projected with the use of light from behind a white screen to show its performance. To deliver one such performance it requires a team of 10 artistes and to prepare the show it takes six months!”
“Come Ganesh Utsav and we will start performing at different places for the festive season,” says Rao, who began making puppets six months ago, with an unheard desire to perform his art in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) ever since the new Ram Temple has come up. Rao adds, “Ayodhya jaane ka man hai. Perform karne milega toh zaroor jayega.”
Catch It Live
What: Chhaya – The Shadow of Leather Puppets and Storytelling
Where: MATI, 1 Basement, Hauz Khas Village
When: August 14 to 30
Timing: 10.30am to 7.30pm
Nearest Metro Station: Green Park (Yellow Line)