Puppetry lacks modernization in terms of script, lighting, sound and other stage effects.Spoiler alert: If you don’t want your children to know that the Sesame Street®Ĭharacters are hand puppets, please do not show them this video.With changing times, Puppetry does not take up modern social issues.Puppetry Art is usually confined to only devotional and mythological stories.People find it more appealing to watch mythological stories of Ramayan and Mahabharat on electronic media rather than in Puppetry. Competition from Electronic media which is a preferred mode of entertainment.The musical instruments used during the performance are Chenda, Chengiloa, Ilathalam and Shankha the conch.The Plays are themed around narrations of Ramayana and Mahabharata.The puppets are decorated with colorful headgears, feathers and face paints, which is evidence of a heavy influence of Kathakali dance form.It originated in the period around 18th century A.D.The delivery of the dialogues, the movement of the puppet and the beat of the dholak are well synchronised and create a dramatic atmosphere.In Orissa, the puppeteer plays on the dholak with one hand and manipulates the puppet with the other.In Uttar Pradesh, glove puppet plays usually present social themes, whereas in Orissa such plays are based on stories of Radha and Krishna.The tradition of glove puppets in India is popular in Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal and Kerala.With the help of these three fingers, the glove puppet comes alive. The manipulation technique is simple the movements are controlled by the human hand the first finger inserted in the head and the middle finger and the thumb are the two arms of the puppet.

These puppets are like limp dolls, but in the hands of an able puppeteer, are capable of producing a wide range of movements.The rest of the figure consists of a long flowing skirt. The head is made of either papier mache, cloth or wood, with two hands emerging from just below the neck.Glove puppets, are also known as sleeve, hand or palm puppets.They are carved out of a single piece of wood and then painted and dressed in bright colours.The music is dominantly influenced by the classical music of the region and the theme of the puppet plays are drawn from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas.Hence, these puppets throw coloured shadows on the screen.

The puppets are large in size and have jointed waist, shoulders, elbows and knees.

Tholu Bommalata, Andhra Pradesh’s shadow theatre has the richest and strongest tradition.

The puppets however differ in size according to their social status, for instance, large size for kings and religious characters and smaller size for common people or servants.

These puppets are mostly small in size.The shadow theatre of Karnataka is known as Togalu Gombeyatta.Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. This tradition of shadow puppets survives in Orissa.The manipulation between the light and the screen make silhouettes or colourful shadows, as the case may be, for the viewers who sit in front of the screen.Shadow puppets are pressed against the screen with a strong source of light behind it.They are cut out of leather, which has been treated to make it translucent.It has four distinct stages – Vinayak Puja, Komali, Amanattam and Pusenkanattam.The Bommalattam puppets are the largest and heaviest marionettes found in India.The strings are attached to an iron ring which is worn by the puppeteer on his head.

Rod puppet meaning