Colloquium Paper

Assignment 1

Anushree Bhattacharya
LD-VII, Roll- 04
NIFT Kolkata
 INTRODUCTION

‘Puppetry is one of the most ancient forms of entertainment

in the world. Nearly every country has some kind of puppet
theatre and in many it is also so ancient that its organs are
often lost in hazy past. In some of the countries, it is, still a
living tradition and in some, only relics remain.
It is known that shadow puppets existed in India as early as
6th century B.C. As is the case, with all the art forms of the
ancient time, puppet theatre all over the world, however
varied their traditions, might be constantly portrayed but with
one theme- the theme of triumph of good over evil.
These forms thus survived both as entertainment with
instruction or instruction in entertainment.
The earliest mention of old tradition is in the 13th century
poetic work Panditharadhyula Charitra, written by Palakuniki
Somnath’.

LEATHER PUPPETRY OF ANDHRA PRADESH

Shadow puppetry is a popular tradition of Andhra Pradesh.

Its performers are meandering entertainers and peddlers.
‘‘Tholu Bommalata’, literally means the dance of leather
puppet. Marionette players are one of the various entertainers
who perform during the whole night, performing various stories
from Hindu epics Ramayana, Mahabharata etc’.

As early as 12th Century the art of puppetry flourished in

Andhra Pradesh, narrating stories of divinity, sometimes
taking the divine dimension itself. Stories from great epics like
Ramayana and Mahabharata were performed which went for
several nights at length. Fables from Ramayana and
Mahabharata that remain popular include tales of Lava Kusha,
Keechaka Vadha and Rama Ravana Yuddam.
 OBJECTIVE

This paper will examine the status of traditional shadow puppetry

in the state of Andhra Pradesh covering history, geographical
distribution, preparation of puppets and theatre, socio-economic
conditions of the troupes, gender, and problems and perils of the
puppeteers.

It will also analyze the contemporary relevance, practicality in

modern times and use of the craft Tholu Bommalata.
 ABSTRACT

It is hard to imagine that, there was a time when, there was no TV,
no computer or even any board games in the house. There were no
malls, no cinema theatres, no eat out joints or even entertainment
parks. During these times, way back in the deep historic past of
most of India, the only source of entertainment every evening were
the puppet shows held at various corners of the village or town.
Late in the evening, the show would begin with the beating of the
drums and the loud noises made by the puppeteers.

“We are no more than a moving row of magic shadow-shapes that come
and go round with sun-illumined lantern held in midnight by the Master of
the Show.”
—From the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (12th century)

Tholu means leather in Telugu and bommalu means dolls. This

form of art is believed to have originated in 200 BC during the rule
of the Satavahana dynasty. They were instrumental in
disseminating knowledge regarding Hindu epics such as the
Ramayana and Mahabharata and local folk tales, to hinterlands
and rural areas. The word Tholu Bommalata literally means "the
dance of leather puppets”. The performance starts with many
invocations while the ornate and strikingly stylized puppets are
pinned in an overlapping fashion onto opposite sides of the screen.
The leather puppets are then mounted down in the middle using a
palm stem, which is extended to form a handle for moving the body
of the puppet. The performing group consists of wandering
entertainers and peddlers, passing through villages for many weeks
in a year. They sing ballads, sell amulets, tell fortunes to the people
and also perform acrobatics, take up pursuits like charming
snakes, weaving fishnets, tattooing the local people and mending
pots. This is an ancient custom that existed for centuries before the
advent of modern era involving radio, films and television. The art
form is a subject of academic study by researchers to understand
its impact on the society, for many centuries.
 HYPOTHESIS

APPLICATION OF THOLU BOMMALATA IN LEATHER DESIGNER PRODUCTS

The craft heritage of India is truly unmatched. However, dated

designs and garish colour stories are no longer considered
tasteful. These are among two of the many factors that have seen
these crafts slowly fall into obscurity.

People need to come up with efforts to make traditional craft more

relevant and contemporary and find novel ways to infuse new life
into these art forms.

The product range can be from home decor essentials to

accessories. One can transfer the Indian forms onto clutches,
wallets, bags, lamps and stationery.
The question lies whether an age old leather craft-technique of
making shadow puppets, can be revived through design to not only
create an eccentric new collection of embellishes, but also to bring
the beauty of culture from the southern part of the subcontinent
closer to people’s heart.
For marketing schemes, online stores can be launched which can
work with brands who in turn can work with artisans in villages.
 LITERATURE REVIEW

Origin:

Shadow puppetry in Andhra Pradesh is referred by the name

Tolubommalatta. 'Tolu' refers to leather; 'bomma' denotes doll and 'atta'
means play. It is traditionally performed in villages.

The origin of Tolubommalatta in Andhra Pradesh has had a long history.

The art form originated in 200 B.C., according to the oral tradition
Jataka and old scriptures, when the rulers of Satavahana dynasty
patronized it. The origin of Tolubommalatta in Andhra Pradesh also has
evidence in various stone inscriptions found in many places.

The components of a puppet show are the curtain, the audience sent
before it, the commentator behind the curtain, the lights that throw the
shadow on the screen and the puppets (actors).

Geographical Distribution:

Among the Andhra Pradesh Puppeteers, the Nimmalakunta artists are

well known both at the national and international level. The
Nimmalakunta and Narasaraopet puppeteers are frequently seen in all
the government sponsored exhibitions conducted in major cities all over
India. They are also well known as leather craft artists. Whereas, the
Madhavapatnam group is more interested in traditional performance.

Procurement:

During the sixties, the skin of the animal (whose meat was consumed)
was used for making puppet. Rich landlords and affluent villagers would
hunt deer and donate the skin to the puppeteers. Name of the donor was
written on the finished puppet as a sign of gratitude. Later, goat and
buffalo skin was used for puppet making. Now days, the skin is procured
from the butcher's shop from the nearby town, or wherever it is available
at a lower cost.

There is a connection between the use of leather from a particular animal

and the characters designed. The deerskin, is used to prepare gods and
heroes; goat skin for saints and ordinary people; demons are made from
buffalo skin. This selective use allocation of leather for specific
characters is practised in the area around Madhavapatnam, Kaldnada
(East Godavari district). According to Seethalaksmi a shadow puppeteer,
in the past divine characters like Rama, Seetha and Lakshmanan were
made using only deerskin. Certain sanctity is attached to this animal.

Preparation:

The wet hide of a goat is dipped in warm water and cleaned with a sharp
knife. Salt is not used on the hide. Stretched on a cot kept outside the
house, the cleaned, softened and uniformly thin skin is allowed to dry. A
thin white cloth is kept on the hide to protect it from excessive heat.
Depending upon the size of the puppets two to three animal hides are
used. For large puppets, three skins are needed and two for a medium
size puppets. Each puppet has three main parts - the head, the body and
the limbs.

The investigator observed stretched hide kept outside the houses for
drying in almost all the houses in Nimmalakunta village (Anantapur
district). This shows that the puppeteers are regularly making puppets
and other leather craft items like lamp shades, epic panels, wall
hangings etc. Thus, the puppet making process still continues in the
state

Drawing and Colouring:

The Andhra Pradesh puppeteers are good artists. The outline of the
figures or pattern is marked on the prepared leather using charcoal,
pencil or sharp instrument by keeping the old puppet to get the right
proportion. When old puppets are not available or when there is a need
to prepare new puppets, the figure is drawn from imagination on the
leather. Different patterns are drawn to represent jewellery, clothing etc.
The figure is then cut out according to the size. Following this, depending
on the pattern, round, oblong, triangular, and cross-shaped holes are
punched in the skin using a sharp chisel.

Traditionally, vegetable dyes were used for colouring the figures. As

the puppets were shown through oil lamps, the use of deep colours like
red, green, black was preferred. Later, when petromax arid electric bulbs
replaced the oil lamps, the coloration also has changed to light shades
using chemical dyes. Today, the colour technology has been improved
giving even shades of strong and light colors for aesthetic symmetry and
beauty. Certain conventions are followed in colouring different
characters, e.g., blue is used for Rama and Krishna; green for Anjaneya
and orange for royal characters. The female characters are normally
orange or red. Today, puppeteers do not follow this convention strictly.
To please the customers, dark shades are also used. Sometimes, the
artists also experiment with new colour schemes. The puppets used for
performance are coloured on both the sides, as they are turned both
ways tosuit the occasion during manipulation.

Fixing the puppets:

The whole body and head of the puppet is supported by a bamboo stick,
which extends right down between the legs and a little lower for the
manipulator to hold the puppet. Another bamboo strip runs across the
shoulders for added support. All the sticks are strongly tied down to the
figure. The hand, which has joints, is stitched on to the shoulders.
Bamboo sticks are attached on each of the hands at the centre of the two
palms of the puppet with a loop and a cross sticks. These sticks are
easily attached or removed after the performance. The head, trunk, limbs
and legs are stitched at respective places to give a complete shape to the
figure.

The dancing puppets are made for greater mobility. These will have extra
joints at the waist and the head, which is separately attached on a stick,
and connected with the main body by a loose string. The feet are
attached to the skirt. Such figures require two persons for manipulation.
The preparation of puppets is a creative work. It takes 2-3 weeks or even
one month to complete a big size puppet.

Type and Size:

The Andhra Pradesh Tolubommalatta puppets are the biggest among all
the traditional shadow puppets tradition in India. The regular size varies
from 5'x 3' to 6'x 3-3x2. Important characters like Hanuman, Ravana,
Rama, Surasa, Surpanaka have different sizes and pattern since they are
used in various sections of the episodes during performance.

Since the puppets are big in size, they are divided into head, limbs and
trunk and prepared from separate piece of skin. In some cases, the head
and body together are made on a single piece. The size also depends on
the size of the screen used by the artists. Sarma (1985) divides the
design of the puppets, as Northern tradition prevalent in the coastal
districts, from East and West Godavari districts, which requires a larger
screen compared to the southern tradition, around the Rayalaseema
areas which uses smaller screen.

Storage:

The puppets are traditionally stored in an elongated bamboo box called

'Ganiyam'. The box is covered with unused leather as observed by the
investigator during her field visit. Each Ganiyam normally holds 100
puppets. Today, most of the regular performers as well as those who
have a good market for their puppets and other leather craft items, store
it in a big metal trunk and suitcases. Some of the big puppets are rolled
up and stored

Stage and Screen:

The stage comprises a white curtain fixed to a bamboo frame. During the
wandering days, the puppeteers carried all the materials like poles, cloth
etc in a bullock cart and erected the stage wherever the performance was
held. The stage was set in the middle of the village in an open space or in
a wide street within the village. Bamboo or casuarina poles are erected
on two sides as well as top and bottom with 10' x 6' or 10' x 8' dimension
with 8' height. The front portion of the frame is covered with a white
cotton cloth, usually a dhoti or a saree. The bottom pole is raised about
P/2 above the ground. The cloth is tightly tied to the poles on sides as
well as on top and bottom. A black cloth covers the lower portion from
the ground to the raised portion. The screen is slightly tilted by making
the top position tied to the pole lean towards the audience. As the
puppets are large, this slight tilt keeps the puppet intact on the screen
without shifting during manipulation.

Since more than six persons stage the performance, adequate space is
left behind the screen to accommodate the performers and the
accompanist. In Andhra tradition, all the artists go behind the screen
and are not visible to the audience. Usually two dhotis or sarees are
stitched together to cover the entire screen. A black or dark colored cloth
covers the two sides of the stage. In the olden days, the sides were
covered with bamboo or palm leaf thatties (frame).

Lighting:
A good source of lighting with correct intensity is an important feature of
a shadow play. Sorensen (1974) mentions the use of iron containers with
handle in early seventies. In this container, oil was poured over and
lighting of the cotton wick provided the required illumination. Later on,
the oil lamps were replaced with petromax lights. Sarma (1985) mentions
the use of earthenware lamps placed behind the screen and lighted with
castor oil. Today, all the puppeteers use electric bulbs and sometimes -
even focus light with high wattage. Since the puppets are boldly colored,
the electric lamps give a good illusion in the present times.

Sound:

Since its origin, the Andhra Pradesh performers enacted the epics with
songs and narration in the absence of any microphone. Chandrasekar
(1961) mentions that usually persons with good and loud voice and lung
- power are selected as singers. In the olden days, some of these artists
claim with pride that their voices could be heard over a long distance.

The use of microphone in puppet shows was started very late probably in
the eighties due to the growth in economic level and preference of the
sponsors. Even in the present times, some of the individual troupes
perform without a microphone. Normally, even without the microphone
the sound carries well since six to eight people jointly conduct the
performance. Performances conducted in big cities and towns use the
microphone, which the organizers provide along with lighting facility.

Themes and Stories:

The puppet play performs stories from Ramayana and Mahabharatha.

Certain episodes like Pathala Havanamu, Mahiravana Charitra, Draupadi
Vastrapaharanam, Keechaka Vadha and Virataparva are the most
popular ones among the audience. Today, some troupes have started
using stories based on forest protection, animal welfare and other social
issues.

The older generation puppeteers have not attended any school due to
their wandering nature. However, they narrate the episodes in Telugu
language. They do not speak Telugu at home but memorize the narration
through oral tradition. Sarma (1985) writes that the text for the narration
is collated from different sources at different times of the growth of
Tolubommalatta. The older generation reproduces only the textual version
memorized during their younger days.
The Tolubommalatta is well known for its songs based on different 'Ragas'
though sung in a folk style. Today, sometimes, the old folk style is
replaced by new songs mostly taken from popular cinema music. This is
due to the popular demand in villages. The episodes are narrated with
music, which starts with Nata Raga during invocation and ends with
Mangalam using Surati Ragam. Mukhari, Sivaranjani, Sriragam, Ananda
Bhairavai are other ragas used during the performance. The puppeteers
never undergo any formal training in classical Karnatic music however,
sing by repeating the same music from childhood. The talams or
rhythmic notes used are Aadhi, Roopakam, etc.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF THE TROUPES

Caste Composition:

The Andhra puppeteers, who have migrated from Maharashtra, belong to

Aare (Maratha) Community. The Andhra Aares known as Aare Kapu
referring to Telugu Agricultural community who were also military
chieftains. They prefer to be called Balijas or Balija Kshatriyas or Bondilis
as they are called in Maharashtra (Sarma, 1985). There are four clans of
Telugu Aares, viz., Aveti, Thota, Sindhe and Anapnrti - belonging to
Vanarasa and Rekandar sects.

Religious and social customs:

The migrant puppeteers from Maharashtra have mingled themselves with

the cultural tradition of Telugu people in the state. However, they retain
their social identity by following the customs and traditions of their
ancestors from Maharashtra. They observe festivals like Ramanavami,
Sankaranthi, Deepavali and other major Hindu festivals. Some of the
troupes are patronized by local temples where they perform during
festival.

They worship village Gods and Goddess as well as Puranic deities like
Rama, Krishna, Ganesha, Shiva and Anjaneya (Hanuman). They worship
Rama as their family deity due to the influence of local belief and long
stay in Andhra Pradesh.
Marriage alliances are within the four clans and traditionally do not
marry outside the community. The marriage rituals are according to the
Aare traditions. Though they have adopted the social customs of the
Andhra, the traditional custom of payment to the bride (Voli), by the
groom's party allowing them to take the bride in their home is still
practiced by the families of puppeteers. The groom's parents offer new
clothes and gifts to the bride's family and bear the marriage expenses. As
part of the marriage celebration, they take part in meat eating and
drinking (Sarma, 1985).

Rituals connected with the death of an artist are more elaborate. The
entire community assembles for the ritual. A one-year mourning is
observed on the death of an elderly family member.

Composition of troupe:

The troupe comprises family members with husband or father as the

head of the troupe, wife or wives and children assisting him with a total
of roughly seven to eight persons. Usually, the head of the troupe has
two or more wives who help during the performance. The troupe also
takes the help of immediate relatives like brothers or sisters during
emergency situation whenever family members are not available. During
wandering days, only a single family was performing. They did not have
permanent home. So they travelled in bullock cart with their family and
materials from one village to another, taking shelter under a tree or in
some old buildings. Today, most of the troupe has more than one family,
which are mostly relatives as the investigator observed during a
performance in Nimmalakunta (Anantapur district).

Education:

The first generation puppeteers (above 60 years of age) are not literates
and due to their wandering nature, they never went to school. However,
they are good in oral tradition and are able to narrate the episodes by
songs and dialogues by practice.

The second-generation puppeteers (30-50 years of age) have gone to

school and studied 5th to 8th standard and some of them have even
studied up to 10th standard.

The third generation (15-25 years old) senior performers have attended
school, while the juniors are still in school. Most of them have completed
basic school education up to 10th standard. Some of them are keen to
join college education and aspire to take up government jobs as teachers,
administrators etc. The reason for achieving higher education among the
younger generation is due to their economic condition, which enables
them to attend school as well as sustain their art form and their
livelihood.

ECONOMIC CONDITION

Occupation:

In the olden days, in the absence of cinema, and television,

Tolubommalatta became the only entertainment media for the villagers.
The artists survived by their regular performance except during rainy
season. Slowly, the situation changed due to the increasing popularity of
cinema and television, which resulted in low patronage. Hence, some of
the families resorted to other occupations like agriculture, cattle and goat
rearing while the poor ones started working as agriculture laborers, small
traders exchanging steel utensils for old clothes, doing small business
like sale of plastic toys, cosmetics, fancy items like bangles and clips
performing Veedhinatakam etc. Families attached to local temples get an
annual honorarium from the temple funds, for which they have to
perform during festivals.

Status of Puppeteers:

Though the popularity of performance has diminished in villages, the

status of most of the families especially those living in a cluster in
Nimmalakunta and Narasaraopet has comparatively improved due to the
popularity of leather craft items in India and overseas.

Individual puppeteers develop their skills in preparing big puppets for

museums, art lovers and foreigners. The Nimmalakunta cluster has
become more popular at national and international levels. They regularly
tour within India and outside the country. All the families now have a
permanent house with concrete roofing. The children are better educated
and help their parents to develop the skill in preparing leather craft
articles. The younger generation gets good exposure from outside world
especially when they exhibit their leather craft items and aspire to
become good artists in making craft items.
Gender:

The female members of the family have a role during performance, which
is found only in the Andhra tradition. The female members, normally the
wife or sister of the group leader, takes the centre stage in manipulation
along with narration and singing. The involvement of women therefore
becomes complementary. Women are also involved in the performance as
an accompanist by playing harmonium, as well as giving voices to some
of the female puppet characters like Seetha and Lankini. Young females
while playing the cymbals provide the chorus for the songs.

PROBLEMS

Performance Problems:

The puppeteers interact well within their family clusters. Otherwise,

there is a healthy competition to sell or market their craft items.
However, they hope to get good market for their items. The younger
generation prefers craft activities to Tolubornmalata for various reasons.
The puppet shows requires more number of persons, whereas the
exhibition of craft, even one person can exhibit for more number of days.
It is not strenuous like performance. They can also study during free
time, as the exhibition is not held everyday. They can take orders and
execute the same from home.

Social Problems:

Owing to permanent place of stay, all the families have settled. Unlike
the earlier days, now they are living in nuclear families. Due to their
educational status, the younger generation aspires to take up permanent
jobs in various places with the result, performance is given less
importance. Slowly, the youngsters may join the mainstream society
leaving their ancestral profession.

Economic Problems:

In the past, most of the older generation artists survived on the

patronage of villagers and royalties. They also led a simple life. Today,
due to the development of mass media like cinema, television and video
as well as the popularity of Veedhinatakam and Harikatha, the younger
generation is finding it difficult to get mass support and patronage and
thus they are not interested in continuing their ancestral art form.

SUMMARY

The oral tradition, old scriptures, Telugu literature and stone inscription
give evidence to the origin of Tohibommalattra in Andhra Pradesh, which
dates back to 12th century A.D. The puppeteers belong to "Aare Marathe'
tribe, who have migrated from Maharashtra. They follow the customs and
traditions of Telugu people. The puppeteer families, whose ancestors
were iterant tribes in the past, have now settled in seven districts of the
state. The puppeteers have developed the skill of leather craft items like
lampshades, epic panels, and wall hangings through training. The
puppets are big and highly articulate. It requires more than six persons
to narrate the condensed version of Ramayana, and Mahabharatha
episodes in Telugu accompanied by music and songs. The troupe
comprises only family members, as outsiders are not engaged for
performance. The female member, normally the wife or sister of the
troupe leader, takes the centre stage in manipulation of female
characters along with narration and singing. The younger generation has
higher education status than the older generation. Due to low patronage
for performance, puppeteers have resorted to alternate occupation
including making and selling of leather craft items. This has resulted in
an improved economic status especially for those families living as a
cluster. The younger generation aspires to take up permanent jobs and
settle in nuclear families. They also prefer craft activities and marketing
of the items to shadow play performance.