Puppetry - Ancient Form of Merriment

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The Only Mode Of Entertainment In Ancient Times !!!
Puppetry - Katputlis, as it locally known in the colourful soil of Rajasthan. The puppetry is one of the most ancient forms of entertainment and amusement. Besides providing an enjoyment, this visual art, today convey a meaningful messages to the village folks. Over the years, Puppetry has attained a powerful communication skills, like nowadays various stage shows are organised for puppetry, followed by the full-throated songs of the Mirasis, Langas and Manganiyars, which belong to old pastimes, depicting a traditional, leisurely pace of life.

Puppetry With a Influential History !!!
According to myth, the puppeteers were from the wandering communities of Bhatts in rural Rajasthan, traditionally associated with the art of puppetry and were originally inhabiting the area around Nagaur in the Marwar region. They used to move from one village to another, at the time of festive seasons, with their box of katputlis and dhoklas, spreading the unique art and culture. You can imagine from this, that no fair in the village, or religious festival, or the social gathering was complete without the charm of puppetry. whereas the another most influential story state that there was once a carpenter, who made two alluring wooden figures and when Goddess Parvati saw them, she slipped into the figures in a playful mood, therefore enticed Lord Shiva to enter the other figure and the both of them started playing a divine dance. By watching this, the carpenter thought that his creation came alive for a while and them become lifeless. Since than, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi blessed the innovation, this was how the Puppetry was born. Thus, the painted area is then wrapped with the tissue, plastic, or medical tape to lock in the body heat, so that it can create more intense colour on the skin. The wrap is worn overnight and then removed in the next morning. Which when washed, leaves a rich reddish brown colour on the surface of skin and can last somewhere from one to three weeks, depending on the quality of the paste

Performance of the Chromatic Puppets !!!
These puppets are beautifully decorated, which are manipulated with the help of many strings, thus the strings are looped into the hands and fingers of puppeteer's. These stunning puppets lie lifeless on the stage until the strings are pulled by the puppeteer, it is one of the most interesting moment, when these puppets come to life. Most of the puppeteers are usually from the same family, and the occupation runs from the generations, it is a skilled talent that father teaches to his son, and son to his further generations.

The Amazing Show !!!
The show starts with the fanfare of loud beats on the dholak, a drum is played by the female members of the troupe, whereas the toot and whistled are played by puppeteers, who produce sharp, trembling and shrilling sounds through the rustic reeds they hold in their mouth. The history depicts that the exploits of Amar Singh Rathore of Nagaur are the most popular theme of such shows. The dialogues in the play are narrated by the female members of the party through appropriate songs. However, a sheet is placed over the cots to hide the performer from the public gaze. He moves the jointed limbs of the puppets with the help of strings attached to each of them, the loose ends being looped over his dexterity that the dolls very effectively convey the broad sentiments of each character they represent in front of public. Most of the puppet shows are played only for a hour or so, which is much liked by the young children.

Saving The Dieing Art !!!
However, Today, most of the Rajasthan puppet theaters have lost their charm, due to the influence of cinema, television and video. But still puppetry is a popular media amongst children's, educators and communicators. Even the Rajasthan Government, today realizes the importance of saving this ancient art of folklore and keeping all the beneficial facts, the government took initiatives to open many puppetry theaters and regularly organise puppet shows in the countryside of Rajasthan.