THOLPAVAKOOTHU
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Published in December, 2016 By the Fashion Communication Department National Institute of Fashion Technology Site No 21, 27th Main, Sector 1 HSR Layout Bengaluru, Karnataka – 560102 All rights are reserved by NIFT. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or photocopy without prior permission. Printed in India
THOLPAVAKOOTHU
CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the Document titled “Tholpavakoothu” is a record of Craft Publication work done by the student, Bhavya Malviya BD/14/333 as a Regular student for the degree of B.Des Fashion Communication during the period of July – Nov 2016, which represents as independent work and does not form the base for any previous work. PLACE : Bengaluru DATE : 6th December, 2016
Under the Guidance of C.M. Sanjeev, Assistant Professor Department Of Fashion Communication National Institute of Fashion Technology Bangalore - 560102.
PREFACE Craft cluster documentation was the one subject in Semester V which gave us the opportunity to explore, research, learn, experience and live the life of a true artist. Had it been not for my teacher to suggest ‘Tholpavakoothu’ as an artform, I would have missed the chance encounter with the God’s own country, Kerala. Learning this artform in the setting of lush green scenery was no less than a worthwhile experience. ‘Tholpavakoothu’ is an artform which is so much more than leather puppets, play, shadows, verses and epic. It’s mainly about legacy, tradition and love for the culture which has been passed down since ages. The people involved in this craft live it, create it and relish it. With the new advancements in technology, the craft is progressing but the way, it still holds on to its roots is commendable. Therefore, this book is an attempt to be at par with those artisans in maintaining the authenticity and bringing justice to the artform. It explores various aspects of the artform and gives insight into the process, history, myths, designs and stories unfolded by these flexible, movable miniatures. The journey of reading this book would, indeed, be an entralling ride of knowledge for the tech-savvy benighted minds.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to thank my mentor, Mr C.M. Sanjeev, for giving the opportunity to learn the artform of ‘Tholpavakoothu’. My heartfelt gratitude to the entire team of the Pulavar family for sharing with us valuable informations regarding the craft. A special thank you to Mr Ramachandra Pulavar for guiding us on our social objectives, challenging our knowledge and providing recommendations for improvising. My thanks to all my faculties, friends, classmates and family for encouraging me to do justice to the craft and for supporting me throughout. A special mention to the family in Kerala for making the stay worthwhile.
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CONTENTS Map Introduction History
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History Kambha Ramayana Other types of Puppetry
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Geographical conditions People Places Around
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Geographical conditions
Instruments Design Motifs Tools Raw Materials The Process
Making of the puppet Making of colours
Design Intervention The Show
The Show Characters Setting Narrations Scenes
The Team Stories Mudras Present and Future
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Advancements and Market SWOT Analysis
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Conclusion Glossary Bibliography
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Map
Nearby Landmarks and Places: • • • • • •
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Kerala Kalamandalam: 10 kms approximatel down south. Carmel School: At a distance of 2.5 kms. Kavalparra Palace: At a distance of 1.7 kms. Shornur Fire Station: 4.4 kms to the west. Shornur Junction Railway: 6.9 kms to the west. PKDIMS General Hospital: 2.2 kms to the east.
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Introduction
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Tholpavakoothu is a form of shadow puppetry that is practiced in Kerala, India. This art form is especially popular in the Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram districts of Kerala. Here, Thol means leather, Pava means puppet and Koothu means play. It began as a ritual dedicated to Bhadrakali and was performed in Devi temples in specially built theatres called koothumadams. The story of Ramayana is composed for Tholpavakoothu in 21 parts, which are
presented during 21 nights. About 180 puppets are needed for a full performance. Believed to be 2,000-year-old, the compositions for Tholpavakoothu was done by Chinnathampi Vadhyar, based on the version of the epic Ramayan written by the great Tamil poet and scholarKambar, who lived in 12 C.E. The art form depended mainly on the Kamba Ramayana as the text and the language used was Tamil, along with Sanskrit and Malayalam words. 17
HISTORY
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History
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Backstage at the show
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hadow puppetry has been the oldest art forms and means of entertainment. The origin is unknown and was probably discovered 1,000-2,000 years ago. However, the origin varies from country to country. For example, the Chinese puppetry originated during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.– 220 A.D.) whereas the Indian puppetry came into origin with the Harappan civilization as claimed by Sunul Chakraborty. It is also said that it was discovered after the shadows were formed by the sun and eventually, people used it as a tool for storytelling.
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Tholpavakoothu is said to have originated in the 18th century and is also known as pavakoothu (puppet play) or nizhalattam (shadow play). It was the only visual art form at that time and since Kerala had commercial contacts with China, the art form somehow reached here. Puppets (pavakal), usually representing four characters from the Ramayana, are arranged behind a long white screen, in front of bright wick lamps. The performance starts late at night and continues up to daybreak. 2
21.1: Coloured Hanuman; 21.2: Ganesha during the pooja
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History | Kambha Ramayana
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Kambha Ramayana
he theme of the play is based on the Kamba Ramayana and covers the whole gamut of events from Lord Sree Rama’s birth to his coronation as the King of Ayodhya. As per belief, Goddess Bhadrakali who was busy in her fight with Dharika, whom she eventually kills, could not watch the triumph of Lord Rama over the demon king Ravana and the subsequent release of Sita, the beloved wife of Rama. Furious over missing the epic battle between Rama and Ravana, Goddess Kali complains about it to Lord Shiva. Since it was not possible to kill Ravana again, Lord Shiva suggests that people on earth would depict it as a play for Bhadrakali to see the fight. Therefore, the story of Ramayana was staged in the form of Tholpavakoothu, especially Yudha Kanda, the chapter dealing with the war. It is believed that Lord Shiva wrote the Kambha Ramayana himself for Bhadrakali. He took birth as Kamban who was the royal poet in the Chola palace. The king ordered Kamban and a poet called Ottakuthu to write down
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the story of Ramayana and present it before him in a month’s time, otherwise, they would be beheaded. Ottakuthu finished writing the Ramayana while Kamban grazed the cattle at the farm. He kept singing the story of the Ramayana but he never got down to writing it out. On the day of performance, Kamban lay fell asleep in front of the temple of Goddess Saraswati. When he woke up, he heard a voice from within the temple. It was Goddess Saraswati herself and she presented the palmleaf script to Kamban. This is how the Kamba Ramayana came into being with 12,126 slokas. Centuries ago, Chinna Thampi Pulavar, belonging to the Saiva Vellala community, had a divine call to prepare verses for a puppet play from the Kamba Ramayana. About 3,126 slokas from Ramavataram to Pattabhishekam was selected and is known as Adal pattu pavakoothu where Adal means to act and Pattu means relating to.
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Earlier, it was not ‘thol pavakoothu’. Instead, it was ola pavakoothu. The puppets were made of ola, the leaves of palm trees. It had literature and music and entertained everyone from rich to poor, from upper class to lower class. The language was chenthamizhu (classical Tamil) which was easily understood by the people At present this ritual art is confined to Ottapalam and Kavalappara in Palakkad district. Kerala has made a notable contribution towards maintaining and enriching the cultural heritage of India. It has evolved through the centuries a rich and diversified culture which has nourished and become an integral part of culture of India as a whole. They are, therefore, intimately connected with modes of worship. In ancient Kerala, the religious practices of the people and their moral mode code were derived from Dravidian culture. But gradually new religious practices and ideals
entered Kerala from the North. The result was a blending of the Dravidian culture of the south and the Aryan culture of the north which, it is believed, took place about three or four centuries before Christ. As a result of this impact of Aryan religion and culture on the indigenous Dravidian culture of Kerala, Hinduism assumed a new form in Kerala. The influence of this blending of the two cultures, Aryan and Dravidian can be seeing in religious life of people but also in the arts. Among the ancient artform of Kerala, tholpavakoothu or shadow puppet play occupies a prominent place. It is a fine example of the integration of Aryan and Dravidian cultures.
22.1: Fighting sequence between the deer and Rama. 23.1: Backstage. 23
History | Other types of Puppetry
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Other types of Puppetry ive major types of puppetry are shadow, string/rope, contemporary, gloves and water. In each type, methods of movement, construction, design and size of the puppets would be different. In different parts of Kerala, the designs vary and so do the visibility and application of colours. In India: String puppets are the most commonly found puppets in India, the most popular one being ‘Kathaputli’ from the state of Rajasthan. Gopalila Kundhei is the form found in Orissa where they depict the story of Radha Krishna. Gombeyatta is from the state Karnataka, Nool Pavakoothu from Kerala, Keelubommalatta from Andhra Pradesh and Bommalatam is from Tamil Nadu and are made up of both rod and string puppets. Shadow puppets in India are Tholu Bommalata from Andhra Pradesh, Ravanachhaya from
Odisha which are in one piece and have no joints and Chamadyache Bahulya from Maharashtra. Pavakoothu from Kerala is the traditional glove puppet play which came into existence during the 18th century due to the influence of Kathakali. Putul Nach or dancing dolls from West Bengal and Kathi Kandhe in Orissa are examples of rod puppets. Abroad: In China the shadow plays are often folk-tales and legends of the past, many based on Chinese opera themes. In Indonesia, Wayang puppets are popular shadow puppets. These plays are taken from two religious epics where there is often a struggle between good and evil. Also known as the Opera dei Pupi (The Opera of the Puppets), puppet shows became immensely popular in Italy in the late middle ages. Turkey and Greece also have a history of shadow puppetry, where plays are based on everyday life and contain much physical comedy. 1
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Bunraku is a traditional Japanese puppet style that involves chanting and complex mechanical puppets that have been around since 1684. In Western Europe shadow puppetry enjoyed popularity during the 1800’s when the art of cutting silhouettes out of paper was fashionable. In 1926, German shadow puppeteer Lotte Reiniger made the first full length animated film The Adventures of Prince Achmet. She handcut beautiful opaque silhouette figures that were moved on an animation table. Mua Roi Nuoc is a Vietnamese form of rod puppetry that is performed in waist deep water and dates back to the 11th century. Shadow theatre in Thailand is called Nang yai, made of cowhide and rattan. The Turkish tradition of shadow play called KaragÜz and Hacivat was widespread throughout the Ottoman Empire.
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24.1: Variety of Indian puppets on display at the Pulavar House. 25.1: Vallamkali (Boat race) is the famous sport in Kerala. Here, the boat with the particpants is held on display. 25.2, 3: Characters from Wayang shadow puppets from central Java 25
GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS
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Geographical Conditions
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horanur is a town and a municipality located in the Palakkad district, in the Indian state of Kerala, located on the banks of the Bharathapuzha River (also knwon as Nila River). Shoranur junction Railway Station is the largest Railway Station In Kerala. It covers 32.28 km2. This town connects to other parts of India through Palakkad city. National Highway No.544 connects to Coimbatore and Bangalore. Other parts of Kerala is accessed through National Highway No.66 going through Thrissur. Calicut International Airport, Cochin International Airport and Coimbatore Airport are the nearest airports. Shoranur Junction railway station is the nearest major railway station. How to Reach: Palakkad town has two railway stations connecting to Calicut, Ernakulam,
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Trivandrum, Shoranur and Nilambur. Shoranur Junction also has rail connections to Mangalore and the Konkan Railway, Palakkad has the Salem-Kanyakumari National Highway 47 and the Palakkad-Kozhikode National Highway 213 run through the district. The nearest Airport is at Coimbatore (Coimbatore International Airport) which is 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the City.
28.1: The entrance of the Pulavar House (Pulavar Nivas). 29.1: The view of the road from the inside of the Pulavar Nivas. 29.2: The inside performance space at the Pulavar Nivas with larger-than-life size puppets on display. 29.3: The main Pulavar house with their Puppetry board.
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Geographical Conditions | People
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People
ost of the people living in the distrcits of Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram are involved in the shadow puppetry. This is a legacy which has been passed on to them from their ancestors and each district has almost one member in the family practising or knowing it. The population of these districts are approximately 28,10,892 with density of 627/km2. Localites are also involved in other professions too like engineering and medicals, as seen by the increasing availability of colleges around. Waliyanadu is the popular term used for the meeting of three cities but due to the increasing population and withering interest in culture, the three ditricts have shown variations in their plays and puppets and have separate teams working on varied designs.
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30.1: A house near the temple. 31.1, 2, 3 and 4: Localites of the district Shornur in Palakkad.
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Geographical Conditions | Places Around
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Places Around Kalamandalam (32.2) is the nearest art institute in the area, after crossing the Nila river. There are temples where the team performs, with koothumandam made on the outskirts (33.1, 2). Kavalappara Palace (32.1) was once a prime location for the team to conduct their performances. This palace was owned by Mooppil Nair family who also, ruled swathes of land that came under Valluvanad and erstwhile Cochin state. But due to the disheartening state of neglect of this 31.079 sq.km area, the team had to abandon this place. This place has now become a near-impregnable thicket of unruly greenery infested by breeds of reptiles.
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instruments
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Instruments
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he performance is accompanied by the recitation of slokas and the performers are required to learn over 3000 of these before they perform. The recitation is accompanied by instruments such as chenda, maddalam (drums), ezhupara, ilathalam, shanku (conch), chilanka (gong), kurum-kuzhal (a short pipe) and cherukuzhal. The two usual accompanying instruments are the drum Ezhupara (which is made of jackwood with the ends covered with calfskin) and kaittalam (bell metal cymbals). To add to the dramatic impact of certain scenes, the artist produces some special sound effects and also recite vayatharies (rhythmic syllables). The performers stand in a long row and those using the instruments sit in a round manner.
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36.1: Cymbals, Conch, bow and arrow and the oil lamp (Thuku-vilakku) 36.2: Chilanga (ankle bells) 37.1: Conch and the brass metal cymbals. 37.2: Chenda and Ezhupara (Drums) 37.3: Bow and arrow which are part of the puppet show.
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Design Motifs
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Design Motifs
Combination of Round Hole and Half Moon design.
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Veerali Path: Design pattern made on kings like Ram, Ravan, Bali and Sugreev. Plain, straight cut design.
Pattern of half moon design.
Flower design pattern made using half moons and circles.
Modified flower pattern made with combinations of fullmoon, half moon and circles.
Simple, concave half moon design pattern.
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Tools
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Tools
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he tools used are very basic and nothing specific to this craft. Their main usage lies in the cutting and designing of the puppets. Tools like hammer, scissors and knives are primarily used only to cut the silhouette and straighten the leather. Rest of the tools are of various shapes, edges and sizes and are used as per the desired designs to be made. These tools do not have a specfic name and are named only according to the shapes which are made on the puppets. The tools are bought in bulk from China due to its cheap rates and availability. The tools are named as full moon, half moon, half moon medium, plain, round hole, puncher, etc.
2 44.1: All major design tools like full moon, plain, etc.. 44.2: All major cutting and punching tools like hammer, big scissors, knives are placed along with cutting slab.
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1. Round Hole: It is used to create circular shapes, usually with the combinations of full moon or half moon.
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2. Large Plain : Mainly for cutting and sharpening edges of the puppet. 3. Small Half Moon: The size of the half moon would be smaller and is used more for detailing on the puppets.
4. Medium Plain: This is used mainly to make straight lines which can be found on the ‘Veeralipath’ design. 5. Medium Half Moon: This tool is used to make half moon designs or full moon with combinations. Half moon designs form the basis of many other design motif variations.
6. Small Plain: Used mainly to make smaller straight lines for detailing.
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raw materials
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Raw Materials
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he basic raw material required to make the leather puppets is the leather itself which was, initially, extracted from deer. Nowadays, instead of deer skin, ox, cow, goat and buffalo skins are used. The goat skin is transparent and lasts for some forty years. The colour is clearly visible on it as compared to the other skins. Buffalo and ox skin lasts longer, say, more than a hundred years. The deer skin lasts the longest upto 400-600 years. Coconut is also required to light the ‘batti’. One litre of coconut oil costs approximately two hundred rupees. Apart from that, the raw materials for the colours are as follows: • • •
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Champakam (Magnolia champaca) treeRed Venga tree (Indian Kino) - Brown Jackfruit- Yellow
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Teakwood- Light brown Amariyella (White Amari vegetable) – Green Indira Neela (Stone)- Blue Ashes- Black Coffee powder- Coffee brown
48.1: Pieces of teakwood tree to extract light brown colour. 49.1: Colours like dark brown, black and ligt brown are on display in plastic bottles. 49.2: Light brown is poured into the plastic bottle. Later, it can be mixed with neem paste to thicken it. 49.3: Cotton thread used to tie the puppets with the bamboo sticks.
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The Process
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Process | Making of the puppet
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Making of the Puppet ach puppet is of an average height of 100 cms and 60 cms in width and is cut out in different postures. Deer skin has been the most primitive raw material for the puppet making. However, due to the recent laws banning the use of deer skin, the alternatives are buffalo, goat or ox skins. The skin of the desired animal is bought from the market in bulk. It is left to dry in the sun for two-three days. After that, the excess hair on the hardened leather is removed using a trimmer or a knife. Separate panels are responsible for drying, cutting and buying. After the cleaning, the outline of the desired character is drawn on the leather with a pencil. Usually, an old, existing puppet is used as a reference. However, for the new characters, printouts are taken, put on the leather and the silhouette is traced. A butcher knife or a sharp scissor is used to cut the shape and a normal, mini scissor is enough to cut the miniscule curves on the leather outline. After the entire sketch is done on the inside, the varied tools like
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the half moon, full moon, etc. are used to to style the puppet. A bamboo stick is fixed vertically along the puppet and holding this stick, movement of the play will be controlled according to the circumstances. The eyes, noses, and lips, are also drawn on the puppet and cut out oranaments and dress are drawn by drilling different kinds of holes in the skin for which special pointed chisels are used. Puppets are painted with different colours, making them very attractive when other colours merge in them. The eyes are drawn only at the end. After the eyes are drawn it is believed that the puppet comes to life. Then holy water is brought from the temple and sprinkled over it. Now they have sanctity and are ready to go on stage. Damaged puppets are not taken on stage. The team wishes to make a museum and therefore, the damaged puppets are kept safely.
52.1: Pencil drawing on unfinished puppet. 52.2: Circular puches made onto the puppet as design. 53.1: Unfinished puppet of Hanuman. 53.2: Rajeev demonstrating the designs made on the alligator puppet.
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Process | Making of Colours
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atural colours are used to colour the puppets. Teakwood, palm tree, jackfruit are some of the trees which are used for their colour extracting properties. 1. A single piece of wood is cut from the respective tree.
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2. Approximately, ten litres of water is put to boil for two-three days to obtain one litre of colour. 3. The cut pieces are left in the boiling water for two-three days. Here, teakwood is used to obtain light brown. 4. Boiling water with wood pieces.
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The making of Colours
5. End result filled in plastic bottles. Neem paste is used for mixing the colours and making it thick.
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design intervention
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Design Intervention
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he new designs made by the team have the silhouette of the previous, existing puppets. All the puppets are side facing in a rectangular shape. The details are later cut out and the design variations can mainly be seen in the motifs used and the additional features like the nose or the eye. Rama character is used to make male figures, Ravana is used to make devilish male figures and Sita is used to make petite, feminine female figures. Each puppet has it’s own different style and one artisan completes one puppet all by himself. For the making of new puppets, the artisans meet and do basic research of the characters online. Later, the sketches are made and the characters are modified,
keeping the basic design rules intact. Number of bends depends on the flexibility required by that character. If the character is energetic and playful like Vidhushana, then the bends would be more, say, upto eighteen. It is believed that the designs of these puppets drew inspirations from the famous mural paintings of Kerala and the dance form, Kathakali. However, in case of mural paintings, the Pulavar family denies this rumour and has proclaimed their designs to be original. The Pulavar community used to perform at the kings’ palaces too and from there, mural painters took inspiration. Kathakali fully came into existence by the 17th century and therefore, the mudras of the artform are inspired from the puppets’ hand gestures. No matter what the puppet is, whether it is Rama or Ravana, the hand gesture will be the same: the chin mudra (demonstrating the mudra by pressing the tips of the thumb and forefinger together and keeping the other fingers straight). It gives out the message of the Ramayana i.e., peace for all - Loka samastha sukhino bhavantu. 58.1: This is the Gandhi character with movable hands which can be placed on the Charkha. 58.2: Movable charkha for Gandhi.
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59.1: Coloured deer made on goat skin for sale. 59.2: The intricate designs on the Kathakali face. 59
Top. (L) Old Rama character; (R) New Rama Bottom. (L) Old Bali character; New Bali
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Top. (L) Old Vidhushana character; (R) New Vidhushana Bottom. (L) Old Lakshamna charcater; New Lakshamana
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The show
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The Show
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he show begins with Om chantations, an invocation called kalarichinthu which means seeking blessings from Lord Ganesha. The team sings prayer songs along with musical instruments. It is preceded by the lighting of Thuku-vilakku (oil lamp) by the Velichappadu, the oracle of goddess. It is lit from the flame brought from the oil lamp in front of the idol. The Thuku-vilakku is also the source of the lightening for the performance. The idea is, that the light for the performance comes from the temple and is therefore propitious. The screen cloth is not re-used. Instead, it is used to make ‘battis’ for the lamps.
his Grace and the vayathal (sadhya food). All the performers are trained in Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas and Ayurveda. Initially, the show lasted for four hundred hours in the temple. Starting from January to June during pooram, it was performed for seven, fourteen, twenty one, forty one, seventy or ninety one days depending on the temple demands. Approximately, twenty puppeteers were involved for the show.
64.1: Performing Kalarichinthu. 65.1: Lighting of the lamps. 65.2: Backstage.
This is followed by the appearance of the Brahmin characters with whom the puppeteer converses. None of the Brahmin characters are designed alike. It is said that the Brahmins come from four different directions: North, South, East and West. One carries a fan in his hand, the other one holds holy water from the Ganga, third one holds an umbrella and the fourth one balances a ‘tharasu’ or the wooden stick holding two sitting pots. The Brahmins come to bless the audience and narrate the stories of the previous day to the new entrees and give an outline as to what will happen on the following day of performance. Traditionally, performances begin at night and go on till dawn. The play is organized in such a way that the story of Rama from his birth Ramaavataram to Pattabhishekam (the crowning ceremony) is performed with the Rama Ravana yudha which is the important part of the play. The lead puppeteers is known as ‘Pulavar’ which means the scholar who has studied all the important subjects like history, astrology and anatomy of human body. The Pulavar recites the whole play and it is mandatory for him to not repeat the same words again. They thank the Lord for 64
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The Show | Characters
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Characters he puppets are basically in four states: sitting, standing, walking, and fighting WIth the help of the sticks, the movement of the characters are manipulated. 1) Rama: Identified with the ‘Veeralipath’ design on his clothes. He is also seen wearing a lotus and is characterized with a rounded nose. 2) Ravana: The kings are identified with the ‘Veeralipath’ design. But, since, Ravana is a demon therefore he has been given a sharp, bended and pointed nose with big eyes, protruding belly and big hands. 3) Bali: Identified with the ‘Veeralipath’ design. He resembles a monkey figure. 4) Sugreev: Same as Bali and the other kings with the ‘Veeralipath’ design.
5) Sita: Used as the basic silhouette for the design of other women, Sita is characterized by a nose ring. She has a timid figure and is heavily adorned with birds like parrot and peacock around. 6) Vidhushan: He is a comedy character who enters the scenes as fillers. He has an exclusive design with a hump on his back. He has eighteen bends in him, making him flexible. Since he exists as a filler, he can blend in well with any given scene and perform gimmicks. The other characters are Surpanakha, Kumbhakaran, Hanuman, Indrajeet, Atikya., Brahmins, dancing figurines,etc. There are also animal puppets like deer, rabbit, lion, squirrel, elephants, etc. 72.1: Sita sitting with a group of parrots. 73.1: The coloured versions of the Vanar Sena (army of the monkeys) 73.2: An old puppet of a devil.
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The Show | Setting and Narrations
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Setting he stage where the performance is done is called koothumandam. It is a typical Kerala structure with a tilted, sloping roof, covered on three sides and a twelve meters long white, thin screen called ayapudava. The screen symbolizes the white, pure sky and earth whereas the black cloth symbolizes the ‘patala’ or the netherworld. The puppets are arranged behind a long white curtain stretched across the Koothumadom. Behind this, on a split bamboo pole, is placed a row of wick lamps burning inside coconut halves. The light from these lamps cast the silhouettes of the puppets on the curtain. The screen is illuminated by 21 lighted lamps, made out of coconuts cut in half and placed equidistant from eachother on the Vilakku-madam (wooden beam) behind the curtain. The puppets are pinned onto the screen using safety pins.
Narrations
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The sheer power of speech is of great importance and life is infused into the puppets by the eloquence of the puppeteers.The verses of the original text are no interpreted from word to word. The procession of sponsors accompanied by percussion music, velichapadu, the performers and the villagers would circumambulate the temple and proceed to the koothumaadam. They would circumambulate the maadam once, throw rice and bless the performers. This custom is called koothumaadam kottikayarukka. The invocation to Lord Ganesh goes like this aa…o…re…. Knowledge of all living and nonliving creatures and of this whole universe is contained in these three words. The singing is accompanied by percussion music with a mix of folk and semi-classical element. 74.1, 2: Preparations before the show. 75.1: The Thuku Vilakku (Oil Lamp)troupe on elephants. 74
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The Show | Scenes
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Scenes ondensed version of the Ramayana story as presented in Tholpavakoothu in 21 days is as follows:
1st day: Birth of Rama 2nd day: protection of yaga 3rd day: Seeta’s marriage 4th day: Setting out for the forests 5th day: Stay at chitrakoota 6th day: Anointment of Rama’s sandals 7th day: Mutilation of Shoorpanakha 8th day: Killing of Khara 9th day: Kidnapping Seeta 10th day: Jatayu’s Salvation 11th day: Bali’ s Moksha 12th day: Entering Lanka 13th day: Burning Lanka 14th day: Vibheeshana’s Advice 15th day: Building the Bund 16th day: Angada’s Mission 17th day: Killing Kumbhakarna 18th day: Killing Atikaya 19th day: Killing Indrajit 20th day: Killing Ravana 21st day: Rama’s Coronation
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(Surpanakha, probably) instead of the reindeer. 7: The scene opens with a dance sequence where people are seeking blessings from a King, along with other celebrations. These celebrations are because the King (later known as Ravana) has kidnapped Sita. 8: Hanuman is seen fighting the people of Lanka for Sita. 3
These scenes are from a five-minute performance only covering important scenes with the basic atmosphere set up. 1: Four ladies pay reverence to Lord Ganesha through her coordinated dance moves. 2: It shows the bow and arrow scene being hit at the animals. 3: Jungle setting where squirrel, rabbit, birds and peacock are all seen moving, shaking and running on the screen. 4: Reindeer enters the scene where Sita is seen smitten by its beauty. 5: Rama fights with the deer for Sita. The scene is played with a song sequence where both of them can be seen running swiftly on the screen. 6: Rama hits the arrow at an unkown figure
9: The fight between Rama and Ravana, with the eventual death of Ravana. 10: The troop consisting of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Sugreev and hanuman followed by the army is seen going back home. 11: The final scene is the Coronation of Rama as the King of Ayodhaya. Women figures come and dance in front of the King, offering him their reverence and blessings.
76.1: Fight Sequence between Rama and Ravana. 76.2: Jungle fight scenes. 76.3: Procession attended by King Rama. 77.1: The dancing women celebrating the return of King Rama. 77.2: The fight between the deer and Rama. 77.3: King Rama heading home with his troupe on elephants. 77
The Team
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The Team
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Sudhir opularly known as Lakshamana because of his puppet, Sudhir joined the team in 2009. With a diploma in electrical engineering, Sudhir is currently on a lookout for jobs and has been selected in the PSE list. Like Manoj, he saw the team performing at the temples and found his interest. Through observation and trips, he learned his basic lessons and still believe that he has a long way to go in this craft. He used to balance between his college and performance times but eventually, he found his full interests and faced no resistance from the family as such. Giving life to puppets fascinates him and this is the main reason why he strives for perfectionism. He strongly believes in the talents of his crew and therefore, doesn’t approve of the five minute or compromised shows for the audience for monetary advantages. He feels like someone stabs him each time the art form is compromised. He immensely respects the art and hopes to preach it too to the audience and the newer generation.
Manoj First year automobile engineering student, Manoj joined the team in the year 2009. He first saw the team performing in Kerala and got inspired to join them. His family and college supports him completely. On asking about his future plans, the face gleamed with the thoughts of the future amongst these puppets. He has no intention of abandoning the craft. He is thoroughly enjoying the earning process and also gets to travel and see the world.
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Rahul The youngest of the 13th generation, Rahul has keen interest in this art form and wishes to continue the legacy forward. In the final year of B. Sc in Physics, Rahul is proud of what he and his family does. Although he loves his subjects, he would continue with the art form and with the upcoming of modern generation and most widely knwon stories in the play, he has accepted it as his full time job after college. At the tender age of four, his grandfather, Krishnankutty Pulavar would give him four lines shlokas to memorise and that is how the foundation was set. He learnt several songs from the Kalaricheetha (Text from Kambha Ramayana consisting of 50 to 100 songs). He was exposed to the live performances and those puppets became his childhood toys. By the age of eleven, he was able to narrate the stories for straight two hours. He, predominantly, handles the characters of Bali and Sugreev due to the immense energy required during their
fights. The best thing that he likes about the pupppetry is that it is appreciated without discrimination. The audience sees the show as a whole and does not know who performs or of what age. Therefore, the end result is based on quality rather than on the ranks. His team has performed at his own school and even his college, several times.
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The Team
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Rajeev Pulavar in making, Rajeev is the first grandson of Krishnankutty and the eldest son of Ramachandran Kutty. At the age of six, Rajeev was taught the mantras, shlokas in Tamil, Malayalam and Sanskrit by his grandfather. He is from the younger generation who holds the light of “tholpavakoothu� in hand. He is a gifted artist and has been the recipient of Young Talented Artist Award from South Zone Cultural Centre, Tanjore. The award was presented by MA Baby, Minister for culture. Kerala, on April 14� 2007 He has also achieved many milestones in this field. He had participated in the world Music & shadow puppet festival conducted in Thailand recently. Rajeev is one of the initiater who begun to introduce contemporary and secular themes to appeal to the youth,and Performances are no longer confined only to temples but are also held in secular venues such as colleges and other demanding occations.
He has collaborated with several artists from the field of literature and script writing for their upcoming projects. He also handles the sales and making of the puppets for the foreign and local customers. Apart from this craft, he also teaches computers to students. His future plans include getting M.A degree in Folklore Puppetry from United Kingdom.
82.1: Tete-a-tete with Rajeev Pulavar. 82.2: The awards on display received by the family. 83.1: Framed.
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The Team
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Ramachandra Pulavar .K.Ramachandra Pulavar was born on 25th May in 1960 to late Guru Sri Krishnankutty Pulavar and Gomathy ammal. He was born to a traditional family with a rich historical background. He studied Tholpavakoothu from his great father at the age of six and soon achieved all the aspects of it within the period of childhood. He was the eldest son and worked as a craftsman in Maharashtra. He also resigned from his job as a postman in order to prsue his interest in the craft. In 1986, he received the prestigious Sangeetha Nataka Academy Certificate. Ramachandra Pulava has given training to several studentsacrossand outside the country. Every year from the month of December to June, his team performs in 40 temples in 7, 14, 21, 41, 71 days and has staged more than five hundred shows out the temple primes in Kerala, India and abroad. There are many awards and achievements had won by K.K.Ramachandra Pulavar (Current Director of Puppet centre). Through the puppet centre, they were able to popularize the art form to the common people. The great dedication towards “Tholpavakoothu” helped the team to achieve many awards and recognization from India as well as from abroad. His team showcased the first-ever shadow puppetry on national television in the show India’s Got Talent. The designs also inspired the logo of International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). The most recent honour given to Ramachandra Pulavar was the National Award presented by President Pranab Mukherjee on the evening of Gandhi Jayanthi.
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1 84.1: Moments captured where Ramachandra Pulavar is honored with the National Award. 85.1, 2: The honorary National Award.. 85.3: The man himself explaining the anatomy of puppet Sita.
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The Team
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Lt. Krishnankutty Pulavar rishnankutty Pulavar was born in 1925 in a remote village of Palakkad. His father was renowned Guru Lakshamana Pulavar and his ancestors were all time experts in this art form. He used to accompany his father to the koothu theatres from the age of eight. From then, he started his lessons in songs, interpretations, explanations, puppet handling, arguments, etc. He was well-versed in Ramayana, Puranas, Ithihasas, Satras, astrology, Ayurveda, etc. The Pulavars are the current 12th generation which is involved in this art form. It moved out from the temples around the year 1972 due to the constant efforts by Krishnankutty Pulavar along with his fellow mate, G.Venu. He received flak and reprimands from the people working at temple. They thought that it was an act of irreverence towards God. One of the main reason why Krishnankutty thought of bringing the art form out from the temple was due to women. The temple rules restricted the women from seeing the play at times and this deprived them from the art. Therefore, Krishnankutty thought of spreading it more to the masses and rise above the inconvenience of night hours and months. Another significant change brought by him to the ongoing legacy was the palm-leaf manuscript of the Kambha Ramayana: text recited and memorized by the performers. He also made contributions to the several publications like the Balakandam of Ramayana in Malayalam with the help of UNIMA ((Union Internationale de la Marionnette International Puppetry Association) ) and Ayodhya Kundam in Tamil published by the Kendra Sangeetha Nataka Academy, Delhi in 1983. He was also actively involved in translating the Kambha Ramayana text to english. He had been an instructor at the Handicrafts Training Center in Trivanduram in
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1964. In 1978, he particpated in the puppet festival organised by Cental Sangeet Natak Academy in Bengaluru. He also recieved the diploma award from the Union of Artists in Uzbekistan, Tashkant in 1979. Since then, the journey did not stop and Krishnankutty spread the art form from Greece to Singapore and from Germany to Sweden. Krishnankutty Pulavar received the medal for Puppeting from the Ministry of Cultura Affairs. Government in 1968. He has ben honoured with two National Award from Kendra Sangeetha Nataka Academy in 1980 and the award for master craftman from All India Handicrafts Board, New Delhi in 1985. In order to promote this art form, Krishnankutty Pulavar Tholpavakoothu and puppet centre was established by late Guru Shri Krishnankutty Pulavar, himself, at Koonathara.
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86.1: Portrait of Late Krishnankutty Pulavar at the Pulavar Nivas. 87.1: Some of the honorary memories and awards received by Lt. K.K. Pulavar proudly displayed on the walls. 87.2: Memories of awards and family of Ramachandran Pulavar. 87
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Stories
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Stories
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amayana has been the most viewed and performed story by the team. However, the team is experimenting with non-traditional themes in order to preserve and make the art form relevant Some of the other stories are: Mahatma Gandhi: It was premiered on August 15, 2015 in New Delhi and was staged at the international puppet festival in Scotland in October. Known as ‘Gandhikkoothu,’ this play was scripted by novelist Nandan. For Ramachandra Pulavar, it was a tribute to his father, Krishnankutty Pulavar, who had ardently desired a change in the traditional character of the folk art by adopting the life of Gandhi. About forty-two puppets were made to represent Kasturba Gandhi, Manu, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahadev Desai, Sarojini Naidu, Patel, Abul Kalam Azad, Pyarelal, Kelappaji, Nathuram, etc. The show will begin in the traditional style with Ganesavandanam and Kalarichint. Performed in a flash back mode, ‘Gandhikkoothu’ features the important episodes in Gandhiji’s life such as his brush with apartheid in South Africa, relations with his wife, Kasturba, the Dandi March and his death at the hands of Godse. Mahabali: Mahabali Koothu puppet play tells the story of Kerala’s famous festival, Onam.The history of Onam, Kerala and King Bali’s life are the main sequences of the puppet play. The story begins from the rule of king Bali and fight with Devas. There are scenes where Vishnu takes avatar of Vamana to fight Mahabali and when Mahabali goes to Earth and asks for the blessing from Vamana to visit his people once in a year. The play is of forty-five minutes and have sixty-five puppets in total.
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Jesus Christ: Professor Varghese from Christ college, Kerala wrote the script of this play. The story of Jesus Christ consists mainly of his birth and how he was crucified. The characters include Christ in various positions with one being crucified, Santa Claus, his followers and his birthplace- the stables. Panchatantra Stories: At the first-ever national-level competition of puppetry show at Udaipur in 2000, which was organised by the Sangeet Natak Academy, Pulavar’s troupe staged a 60-minute play titled ‘Panchanana Punerjani’ (‘Resurrection of Lion’). Even though the theme was taken from the ‘Panchatantra,’ the message conveyed was of communal harmony.
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Social Awareness Stories: In the Contempory scenario, issues like forest preservation, family planning, women empowerment, water wastage, anti-ragging, etc. are the epic stories done by the team. There are innovations in the form where different styles are merged systematically to produce more cohesive meanings and reflect various artistic experiments. Puppetry is also used in popular media like television shows, in social institutions like schools as part of educational programmes and in hopitals as part of health care programmes. The team is currently working on the new story of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It has been over an year since the discussion is
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on for the Shakespeare’s plays. Sreedhar, a professor in the NSS College for Engineering in Palakkad, is writing the script for the play. Mahabharata would also be an upcoming story in Malayalam. One of the Kootiaatam (a type of artform) artist is doing the script for the same. The concept is to project a message in the end stating the reasons of war and the innuendos on the sexual violence on women. This message would be said by Ved Vyas to the public. There would be a foreground and background play with human and puppet characters. Panchali would be simple, unlike extravagant Sita and played by a human. 90.1: Crucified Jesus Christ. 91.1: King Mahabali 91.2: Santa Claus 91
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Mudras
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Mudras
1. Avayamudra 2. Mrigamudra 3. Muzhimudra
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1. Drishdimudra 2. Dyanamudra 3. Suchimudra
1. Avayamudra 2. Varamudra 3. Brahmamudra
1. Pallavamudra 2. Mrigasheesham 3. Mushti
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Mudras
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96.1: Meyyabharanam 96.2: Varamudra 96.3: Mudrayal 96.4: (L) Varamudra (R) Deergaanugraham 97.1: The mural paitings found in Kalamandalam 97.2,3: The Kathakali Mudras 97
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PRESENT AND FUTURE
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Present and Future | Advancements, Market and SWOT
Advancements
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o keep up with the modern world’s technologies, the team is planning to incorporate 3D LED lighting systems for their show, instead of using the oil lamps. This would save time and give more clarity and refinement to their characters. They have also started using projectors for their shows to increase the performance space and to play with colours. The idea of projector was suggested by an Italian tourist named Ivan who, himself, gifted it to them in order to take their art forms to new level. Their other ideas for the future include making the puppets in 3D and most interesting one would be the human-puppet tête-à-tête. This means that the story would have both the human characters, dressed up and puppet characters. Conversations would ensue between them, thereby taking the story line forward. For example, in Mahabharata Arjuna would be played by a puppet whereas Duryodhana would be played by a human. Eventually, the fight would be between the puppet and the human in the end. The puppets would be made on cardboard for Mahabharata. Cutouts would be made and coloured cellophanes would be used to give a hint of colours. Carving, colouring and shadow play would all be shown via cardboards.
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Market The team has started selling coloured puppets, key chains, wall hangings, ornaments, lampshades and other decorative items. They have collaborated with Sahil and Sarthak Company who gives them designs and the team produces it to sell in the market. They also make puppets of other countries for the foreign tourists. This has resulted in an extra source of earnings for them. The tallest puppets are sold, approximately, for seventy-five thousand rupees.
2 100.1, 2: Foreigners shopping for the puppets after the show.
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S.W.O.T Analysis Strengths
Weaknesses
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No competition from the puppeteers in Kerala or any other part of India Their legacy and abundant knowledge of the artform. Permanent performances in the temple.
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Language barrier is one of the major problems. Less manforce. No recognition or support from the State Government. Failed appreciation and neglection from our own citizens.
Opportunities
Threats
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Youth participation helps in bringing new ideas. Flexibilty in the artform for betterment. Foreign market. Increasing tourism is helping to spread the word abroad. Keeping up with world by using new methods and techniques of puppetry.
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New modes of entertainment like television, theatres, etc. is declining the popularity of the artform. The audience for these shows have dwindled even in rural Kerala. To cope up with these social changes, the duration of many performances have been drastically reduced. The urge to fit in the upcoming market can pose a major threat to the authenticity of the craft.
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Conclusion
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CONCLUSION Tholpavakoothu is an art form which has been practised since centuries. This legacy has been passed down from generation to generation. With the widespread reach of the artform overseas, the craft is developing and adopting new techniques. New stories are coming up with new ways to connect with the audience. The team has performed in 40 countries so far and continue their tours during the last six months of the year. The team has also started setting market for the sale of puppets and are right now, the only sellers in th game. This gives them an edge over their competitors. The recently received recognitions and awards is effective in spreading the word. The main objective is to make the youth aware of the existing cultures around them and to learn, appreciate, respect and contribute to them in some way or the other.
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Glossary
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GLOSSARY 1. Bhadrakali- Goddess who is a form of Durga 2. Nizhalattam- Shadow play 3. Pavakal- Puppets
4. Yudha Kanda- War Scene
5. Ola pavakoothu- Leaf puppets 6. Chenthamizhu- Classical Tamil
7. Gombeyatta- Play of leather dolls
8. Nool Pavakoothu- String puppet play
9. Tholu Bommalata- Leather Puppet play 10. Ravanachhaya- The shadow of Ravana
11. Chamadyache- Marathi word meaning Skin Doll 12. Putul Nach- Dancing dolls 13. Batti- Cotton wick
14. Neem- Azadirachta indica
15. Ved Vyas- Revered figure in Hindusim
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Bibliography
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Books N. Nagabhushana Sarma, Tolu Bommalata, Sangeet Natak Akadem, 1985 edition Stuart H. Blackburn, Inside the drama house, University of California Press, 1996 G. Venu, Tolpavakoothu Shadow Puppets of Kerala, New Delhi (Sangeet Natak Akademi) 1990 Nair, Sreedevi K., When goddess turns spectator: on multiple audiences in Tholpava Koothu performances in Kerala, Studies in Theratre and Performances Volume 29, Number 2, 2009 (Intellect Ltd.), p. 173-186 Seltmann Friedrich, Schattenspiel in Kerala, Sakrales Theater in SĂźd-Indien, Stuttgart (Steiner) 1986, 134 p., 44 plates
tholpavakoothu-shadow-puppetry/130/ http://tholpavakoothu.in/ http://www.keralapuppetry.com/ http://www.spiritofkerala.com/ tholpavakoothu-sangam/ http://www.sahapedia.org/conversationramachandra-pulavar http://tholpavakoothu2012.blogspot.in/p/ tholpavakoothu.html https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/ krishnankutty-pulavar-memorial/424
Journals Putul Yatra, Sangeet Natak Academy Akhyan, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, 2010 Articles Obscurity to Applause, The Hindu, 2014 Joze Pengov, Puppetry yesterday today and tomorrow, UNIMA Claudia Orenstein, Forging new paths for Kerala’s Tolpavakoothu Leather shadow puppetry tradition, The Routledge Companion to Puppetry and Material performance, Routledge Taylor and Francis Group K.A Shaji, New vistas in Tholpavakoothu, The Hindu, June 16, 2014 Websites http://blog.prathambooks.org/2009/03/ tolpava-koothu-storytelling-through.html https://www.amrita.edu/news/shadowpuppetry-tholpavakoothu https://www.keralatourism.org/kerala-article/ 107
Photographs by: Bhavya Malviya Gokul Krishnan Saloni Gautam
History
Shadow Puppets of Kerala 1