CHITRAGATHA
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The making of this document would not have been possible without the constant support, guidance and help of many individuals through out the journey. We would like to express our sincere gratitude towards each one of them. Firstly, we would like to thank the Director of NIFT Bengaluru, for giving us an opportunity to explore the beautiful art of Shadow Puppetry and know more about the various local crafts that exist in the country and are unknown to us. Next, we would like to thank our mentor, Professor Shipra Roy, without whose guidance at every point of the process, the completion of this document would have been impossible. We express gratitude towards her for guiding us through each step, and imparting us with her knowledge and experience. We also express gratitude towards Professor Yatindra and Professor Sharanbasappa M. Byali for the same. During the journey, we came across many villagers, residents and travellers who readily volunteered and helped in the making of the video and document. The residents of Nimmalakunta treated us with nothing but a humble attitude and a kind heart. We would like to convey our sincere thanks to every one of them for making our stay pleasant. We would like to thank the artisans of Nimmalakunta for opening their houses to us, giving us a taste of the local food and culture. The artisans of Nimmalakunta readily spoke and co operated throughout in the process of us learning about the art and documenting it. Lastly, we would like to express gratitude towards our fellow classmates and our parents for motivating and guiding us during the journey.
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C E RT I F I C AT E This is to certify that the following students of Fashion and Lifestyle Accessory Design (2017-21), National institute of Fashion Technology, Bengaluru have carried out the craft cluster initiative in Nimmalakunta, Andhra Pradesh regarding the craft of Leather Puppetry during a period of five days (17th to 21st Nov). A document and a video documentary were prepared as a part of the initiative. Aishwarya Jishnu Meledath Kashish Richhariya Mahima Mohan Shafiqah Zulfikar Sharvari Joshi Shreyashwini K. S
Dr. Yathindra Lakkanna Professor & Chairperson Department of F&LA NIFT Bengaluru
Prof. Shipra Roy Associate Professor & Centre Co. Mentor Department of F&LA NIFT Bengaluru
Sharanabasappa M. Byali Assistant Professor Department of F&LA NIFT Bengaluru
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I
ABOUT NIMMALAKUNTA
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THOLU BOMMALATA
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RAW MATERIALS
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MAKING PROCESS
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COLOURS
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MOTIFS AND DESIGNS
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CONTENTS . . .
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PRODUC T RANGE
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THE PERFOMANCE
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INTERVIEWS
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MARKET ANALYSIS
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SWOT ANALYSIS
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CONCLUSION
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ABSTRACT The making of this document would not have been possible without the constant support, guidance and help of many individuals through out the journey. We would like to express our sincere gratitude towards each one of them. Firstly, we would like to thank the Director of NIFT Bengaluru, for giving us an opportunity to explore the beautiful art of Shadow Puppetry and know more about the various local crafts that exist in the country and are unknown to us. Next, we would like to thank our mentor, Professor Shipra Roy, without whose guidance at every point of the process, the completion of this document would have been impossible. We express gratitude towards her for guiding us through each step, and imparting us with her knowledge and experience. We also express gratitude towards Professor Yatindra and Professor Sharanbasappa M. Byali for the same. During the journey, we came across many villagers, residents and travellers who readily volunteered and helped in the making of the video and document. The residents of Nimmalakunta treated us with nothing but a humble attitude and a kind heart. We would like to convey our sincere thanks to every one of them for making our stay pleasant. We would like to thank the artisans of Nimmalakunta for opening their houses to us, giving us a taste of the local food and culture. The artisans of Nimmalakunta readily spoke and co operated throughout in the process of us learning about the art and documenting it. Lastly, we would like to express gratitude towards our fellow classmates and our parents for motivating and guiding us during the journey.
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C H I T R AG AT HA
Chitragatha is the amalgamation of two words, “Chitra” which means a portrait, and “Gatha” which translates to “a song or verse” in Sanskrit. The artisan and the art, that is Shadow Puppetry are woven together in this document into to create a beautiful medley, that is Chitragatha. 7
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GEOGRAPHY
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ABOUT NIMMALAKUNTA
Nimmalakunta is a small Village/hamlet in Dharmavaram Mandal in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh State, India. It comes under Pothulanagepalle Panchayath. Nimmalakunta bekings to Rayalaseema region and It is located 48 KM towards South from District head quarters Anantapur, 9 KM from Dharmavaram and 406 KM from State capital Hyderabad
Nimmalakunta Pin code is 515651 and postal head office is Medapuram . Nimmalakunta is surrounded by Chennekothapalle Mandal towards west , Kothacheruvu Mandal towards South , Bathalapalle Mandal towards North , Bukkapatnam Mandal towards East . Dharmavaram , Anantapur , Kadiri , Pavagada are the near by Cities to Nimmalakunta. 11
ABOUT NIMMALAKUNTA
Nimmalakunta in Anantapur district, D.C. Palle in Nellore district and Narsaraopet in Guntur district are the main centers of leather puppet making in Andhra Pradesh. Of these, Nimmalakunta is well known for artisans practicing this hereditary craft.
Locality Name : Nimmalakunta Mandal Name : Dharmavaram District : Anantapur State : Andhra Pradesh Region : Rayalaseema Language : Telugu and Urdu Current Time 03:38 PM Time zone: IST (UTC+5:30) Elevation / Altitude: 371 meters. Above Seal level Telephone Code / Std Code: 08559. Topography : Plain
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........ ........ ........ ........ CLIMATE
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ABOUT NIMMALAKUNTA
Nimmalakunta’s climate is a local steppe climate. During the year, there is little rainfall in Nimmalakunta, Rains are highest during the month of September. This climate is considered to be BSh according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. The average annual temperature in Nimmalakunta is 27.5 °C. Precipitation here averages 551 mm. Generally sunny days, with lesser humidity. In December, the average temperature is 23.2 °C. It is the lowest average temperature of the whole year.
Temperature: 26.6 °C light rain Humidity: 57% Wind : 4.54 mt/sec towards E Rain : 0.19 StationName : “Dharmavaram”
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........ ........ ........ ........ TRANSPORTATION
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ABOUT NIMMALAKUNTA
The general mode of transportation are buses and autos. The autos are usually share autos, they charge 10/- per head for an average of 4 kms. Dharmavaram has one bus main stop from where there are buses and autos which go to nimmalakunta regularly. Cars are found at a minimum, bikes are however abundant.
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BY ROAD : Dharmavaram is the Nearest Town to Nimmalakunta. Dharmavaram is 13 km from Nimmalakunta. Road con-
nectivity is there from Dharmavaram to Nimmalakunta. BY RAIL : Basampalle Rail Way Station , Dharmavaram Junction Rail Way Station are the very nearby railway stations to Nimmalakunta. BY BUS : Dharmavaram APSRTC Bus Station , Bukkapatnam APSRTC Bus Station , Kothacheruvu APSRTC Bus Station are the nearby by Bus Stations to Nimmalakunta .APSRTC runs Number of busses from major cities to here.
........ ........ ........ ........ DEMOGRAPHICS
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ABOUT NIMMALAKUNTA
LOCAL LANGUAGE : Telugu is the Local Language here. TOTAL POPULATION : 3148 People . SEX RATIO : Males are 1598 and Females are 667 TOTAL NUMBER OF HOUSES : 667 Houses. TOTAL AREA : 2042 hectares. LITERACY RATE : 73%
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ORIGIN
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HISTORY
THOLU BOMMALATA The art of leather puppetry is a part of Indian folk tradition. It has enriched Indian culture, thus attracting world wide attention. From historical records it may be safely inferred that the varied forms of puppet art prevalent in many parts of Asia owe their origin to this hoary tradition. This ancient art which is deeply rooted in the soil of this land and has been imparting a fair idea of myths and legends to the common folk. It may be presumed that due to a firm belief that human beings should not adorn the roles of Gods and Goddesses, leather puppets have gained singular importance. Though this puppet tradition reached its peak through the patronage of Sathavahanas (2 Cen. A.D), Chalukyass (543-757 B.C), Rashtrakutas (10 Cen. A.D) and Vijayanagar (15 Cen. A.D). Folk art is the source of all arts. The varied fold forms of India have won world-wide recognition. The art of Leather-Puppetry has a history of nearly 15 centuries. It has extended its influence to many Far- Eastern Countries, even today representing our glorious culture in performing counterpart, together completing each other and contributing to enriching its purposiveness.
The puppetteers of Andhra Pradesh for ages have kept this art form alive, all the time helping the people, in understanding and appreciating its rich historical and mythological ramifications. Many are the arties who have become part of the ethos. Their names have become immortal. Through an edict dated 1208 AD we come to know that two donors, Virapulla Kondappa and Gundappa, gifted a village to Bommalaiah. This reflects the high status and recognition that leather puppetry enjoyed during that period. In 1521 one Bommala Kala was among the ones close to the king Krishnadevaraya, due to his expertise.
In a report numbered 1921 A R 316 one Chandranaiah and leather puppetry artist Amrutha Kavi are known to have donated Chidipirala village near Kamalpura to one Pidachittaiah. Culture in Andhra Pradesh has expressed itself in multitudinous forms all along its career from the dim part till our own day. Most of these forms have characteristics individually of their own, manifesting an idiom peculiar to the land. The leather puppetry had an entertainment value as well as educative function. It included in its performance both music and dance, it involved instrumental music, drawing and painting. Above all, it made use of the epics (Ramayana, Mabharata). 23
The puppet artists have dedicated entire lives to this art without any inkling into its application or future prospects. There are no words to appreciate their service in this field. Foreign universities have from time to time assigned to scholars, the study of the subject and have come out with papers and publications. Among the research of German Scholars is special significance, several Amercian universities have also been published. It is gratifying that several Indian Museums, Art Historians, Art Critics and Scholars have started evicing more and more interest in this intricate form. 24
........ ........ ........ ........ CURRENT SITUATION
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THOLU BOMMALATA
The puppetry shows are now held during the festive season only in the village and its outskirts. Very few people practice the art these days. The puppet theatre is evoking with time, with epics getting interwoven with popular myths and tales. Performances that would go on for 6 nights for Ramayanan and 18 nights for Mahabharata are now reduced to just an hour’s show. The Sangeet Natak Academy and Ravindra Bharti invites these artists to perform at some functions. Leather puppets are still made in the small hamlet of Nimmalakunta, in Anantpur District. Puppetry is dying a slow death, so they have started making commercial products like wall hangings, lampshades, door panels etc. 26
THOLU BOMMALATA
With the onset of the electronic media, the traditional leather puppetry as an art form is slowly losing its sheen, affecting the livelihood of those whose lives have been devoted entirely to it. Especially the invention of television leads to ruination and desolation of the leather puppetry show. The issue has stretched far, and the market has seen a decline in the demand of the puppetry show as well as the craft in last few decades. Now, the eye-catching leather puppets double up as wall decorations. The fact that the product is now a decorative and/or utility item in a modern world has also brought some changes. The move to make lampshades instead of leather puppets alone is one such strategy to remain responsive to the changing market. However, design inputs will have to be kept in mind constantly each time the different markets being targeted.
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ABOUT ARTISANS
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ABOUT ARTISAN
LIFESTYLE
Nimmalakunta is home to 250 families. Most of the families practice the craft of making leather puppetry from several generations. The tradition has passed down from their forefathers. An ideal day in Nimmalakunta starts off at 5, they being with their chores at home or the farms. Around 7 in the morning, one of the male mem-
bers of the family conducts the morning puja, in the meantime, the women start off with the preparation of breakfast. Soon after the older members of the family sit for work, they start the puppetry work usually in the courtyard of the house. A few of the residents gather at late afternoon or evening for a chat and spend time together. All the members live together in a joint family, by this we can say that they are not just socially connected, but also emotionally bonded with each other. Baara katta is a dice and board game played with stone/shells as pawns. 29
ABOUT ARTISAN
ECONOMIC STATUS
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The artisans do not have a definite source of income. Most of them depend on the exhibitions. They earn about Rs.80-1 lakh, in one exhibition when they have good sales, and sustain the family with that income. When there are no good sales in the exhibitions they take loans to run the house. The artisans are also given second party orders. The other source of income is by farming, when there are rains and good harvest. The houses are arranged in a layout manner, all of the houses are single storeyed and have one room, with brick moulded rooftop, the size of the houses vary from 300sq.ft to 600sq.ft
ABOUT ARTISAN
RELIGION
The major religion is Nimmalakunta is the hindu religion. They have a village temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman, at the entrance of the village, which is where the puppet show is put up during the festival of Ram Navami. Currently, there are about 3-4 families in the village, they got converted to Christians, in the re-
cent years. There are 4 major Hindu castes in Nimmalakunta, they are: Balija (OC) - mostly farmers Sangli (ST) - labour work Chitrakars - Artisans Gandla - farming The Chitrakars, essentially the caste of the artisans are originally from Maharashtra; they migrated and have settled in Nimmalakunta. Their mother tongue is Marathi with an influence of Telugu. Their forefathers were puppeteers who travelled around in exchange of grains, meat and clothes. 31
ABOUT ARTISAN
OCCUPATION
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The main occupation is the craft. All the families and its members are involved directly and indirectly in the craft. Farming is an integral part of their lives. Every artisan owns about 2-3 acres of land. Ground nuts (palli / chenne kai) are the main cash crop of the place. The shells of groundnuts are used for fire, for cooking, boiling water etc.
ABOUT ARTISAN
FOOD
The people in Nimmalakunta follow the South Indian rice based diet. The staple food for the lower class people is ragi. A dish made by steaming rice flour and ragi flour together to make dumplings called ragi mudde,
this eaten with a curry made from split pigeon peas (toor dal) called poppu. It is consumed for breakfast in most of the households. For lunch they usually prepare rice with poppu which is usually accompanied with a vegetable. People consume veg as well as non veg.
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ABOUT ARTISAN
LINGUISTICS
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The Chitrakars community is originally from Maharashtra and hence their mother tongue is Marathi with a Telugu dialect. The people are also fluent in speaking Telugu, it being the local language. However the artisans, by travelling around to different states, have learnt to talk and understand Hindi. Some men are also fluent in Hindi when most men can speak broken Hindi. The ladies only speak Telugu.
ABOUT ARTISAN
LOCAL POLITICS
Nimmalakunta is a part of the Pothulanagepalli panchayat, which falls under the Dharmavaram tehsil in the Ananthpur district. The Panchayat is formed by 3 small villages around Nimmalakunta, the
community that is dominant are the Reddy who thereby have maximum say in the Panchayat. The artisan’s community does not play a prominent role in the local politics. They attend the meetings, but hold no position in the Panchayat
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GOVERNMENT POLICY
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GOVERNMENT POLICIES
The Regional implementing agency of Andhra Pradesh under the Development Commissioner of Handicrafts is Lepakshi they have their head office in Hyderabad. They organize exhibitions across the country and the artisans are sponsored to exhibit their products. Some of the government aided exhibitions are Dastkaar, Mastercreation and Surajkondh mela. The other exhibitions take place in Pragathi Maidan, Lucknow Mohatsav and Delhi Haat. The Rural Development and Tourism Department of Andhra Pradesh had funded for infrastructure. The artisans were helped to build houses. They also give Kadhi loans for the artisans to buy raw materials. The Andhra Pradesh state government also has Contributory Pension Scheme that gives a monthly pension of Rs.2500 to all the citizens after 60yrs of age. Most of the artisans who are above the age of 60 have availed this scheme. Another advantage they are granted with is the artisans who hold a National award get medical treatment for a lower cost at the Government hospitals.
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RAW MATERIALS AND TOOLS
Charmam: skin Tholu: leather The artisans make leather locally by tanning goat skin. The skin is sourced directly from butcher shops in Ananthpram, Dharmavaram and neighboring villages, these cost from Rs 30-1000. There are middle men also involved in skin trading. The cost of each skin varies from 40
Rs 100-250when bought from middle men, depending on the quality and size. The prices have gone down since the time the export of this leather has stopped The size of the leather obtained depends on the age of the goat, whose skin is taken. A goat about 2yrs old will give a hide of 2x3’ and a goat of 5 yrs will give a hide of size varying from 4x4’ to 5x5’ Deer skin was used in the olden times. Deer skin is more transparent than the goat skin. Goat skin is ideal for usage. Sheep leather is too brittle to work with.
RAW MATERIALS AND TOOLS
Colours: Camlin photo colour inks, colours fade away in a year or two. it is low cost and easy to use. They also use the dye powders that are used to dye Dharmavaram silk sarees. These dyes are boiled in water and a little of fevicol. These dyes are a little expensive compared to the photo inks. 10gms of this colour costs about Rs 70-80, and a solution of 100-150ml is made. Traditionally, naturals colours were used, which was made by the artisans themselves. Indian ink is replaced by the traditionally made ink from sooth, jatropha oil or kerosene, this is called masi, locally. The frame work for lamps, made from mild steel is sourced from Dharmavaram. The threads used to tie the leather around the framework for the lapms are made by cutting thread like strips of the leather, and soaking them in water to soften it. Sunna: slaked lime Slaked lime with bleach is used as a coating for the leather, to make it white/opaque. This type of leather is also sourced from Pune, this is coated with a layer of lime and bleach mixture in equal proportions and applies on the inner side on the skin. This type of leatheris mostly used for making lamps
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RAW MATERIALS AND TOOLS
Tools and local names: The tools are sourced from Shivaginagar in Bengaluru and Dharmavaram. Noorai: A stone used to sharpen the blades of the cutting tools. Rampi: A blade/cutter used to sharpen the pen and make a eyehole in the leather. Sura kathi: A knife used for cutting the hide. Mansamp: A charpoy that is used to tie and dry the hide Rekhani: A pen made from bamboo sticks. Sudhi: A needle. Cheernam/Panimuthlu: Punches.
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The process of making puppets and contemporary products in Nimmalakunta involves a series of steps performed simultaneously by different members of the artisan family, keeping everyone involved in the process. The younger members of the family watch and learn the craft during this process. The materials used have changed over time, however, the process essentially remains the same. It involves the following steps.
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PROCESS
SOURCING THE SKIN
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The process of making leather puppets begin with procuring goat skin by the artisan. Artisans either buy processed animal skin or they process it by themselves. It makes the artisan more self-sustained and helps him overcome processing charges. It begins with procuring goat hide from local butcher shops in Dharmavaram. The goat skin is the by-product left at the butcher shop after it is separated from the meat. The goat skin is priced at 100-150 INR per piece. However, the prices may vary depending on the size of the order. For smaller quantity requirements, the prices may increase upto 250 INR per piece. The hide is then soaked in hot water for 3-4 hours and then cleaned to remove any dirt or blood left on it by running it under water. Soaking the skin removes excess flesh from it.
PROCESS
CLEANING AND REMOVING HAIR
After cleaning, the skin is then cut exactly from the centre, from tail to neck, to get a flat surface. The inner side of the skin is cleaned by scraping with a knife and simultaneously washing with water to remove any flesh left on it. Then, the hair on the outer skin is removed by rubbing with foot and plucking with
hands. If any stubble is left, it is scraped off with the help of a large knife. It is again cleaned with running water. Excess water is removed by swiftly moving a large knife over the skin. The cleaned hide is stretched and laid flat on a metal cot, with the outer skin facing upwards. 47
PROCESS
DRYING THE HYDE
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The next step is drying the cleaned animal hyde. This process makes the hyde stiff and translucent. The process involves tieing the hyde to a metal cot and letting it dry under sunlight. First, small incisions are made along the edge of the skin around the circumference with the help of a knife. A small piece of plastic thread is then passed through the hole and then tied to the metal cot. In the same way, the entire skin is appropriately stretched out and tied to the metal cot. It is then placed vertically under the sun to dry for 5-6 hours. In case of a cloudy day, the cot is placed under a fan for at least 24 hours for drying. Once dried, the skin hardens and becomes translucent. The leather is then untied from the cot. The circumference with the incisions is cut out with the help of a scissor to get an even surface.
PROCESS
TANNING THE LEATHER
The next step after drying is the tanning process. It may or may not be tanned depending on the type of product to be made. For making contemporary products like lampshades, clocks, torans etc, the leather needs to be tanned, but not for puppets. The artisans either procure tanned leather
from Pune in large quantities or tan it by themselves for smaller requirements. It is done by applying a paste of chuna on the dried skin . Tanning is usually done during off-season time in summers. Tanning makes the product less susceptible to decomposition. 49
PROCESS
SMOOTHENING THE SURFACE AND PREPARATION
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After the leather dries, it is scraped off using a chisel to make the surface smooth for drawing. This process removes the rough ridges off the surface of the leather and makes it even. It also removes any remaining hair on the leather, thus givinga clean surface to make the drawing on. This is usually done by the elder members of the artisan family. The leather is then cut into approximate size for convenience to draw the design. In case of lampshades or clocks, metal frame is bought from Dharmavaram and painted white before use. There are only a few welders selling metal frames and hence, the prices vary depending on supply and demand. The leather is cut in the silhouette of the metal frame. It is then stretched out and tied on the frame with thread and then secured with glue.
PROCESS
DRAWING THE DESIGN
The design is drawn on the inner side of skin with pencil and then with black ink with the help of a rekhini or bamboo pen. Some artisans prefer drawing in ink directly. The design for a panel is first drawn out on paper and then repeated on the leather. Multiple borders are drawn first around the prod-
uct, whether it is a panel, lampshade or a clock, and then the drawing is done. Any mistakes are avoided during drawing. If done, the ink is scraped off using chisel and correct design is drawn. Drawing is done by senior craftsmen.
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PROCESS
DETAILING
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After finishing the drawing, detailing is done, which includes filling various floral and natural motifs in the clothing of the puppets and in empty spaces of contemporary products like lampshades. The details include various motifs and patterns that the artisans have learned. Similar motifs are being used over a period of time from when the craft began till date. They also use newer motifs which they have developed over time. The detailing is usually done by the younger female members of the family. The details usually comprise of motifs with curved lines and shapes as ompared to straight lines. The motifs act as ornamentation of the clothing and act as decorations in the negative space of the product.
PROCESS
COLOURING
After detailing, solid colours are filled in various parts of the puppet and lampshades using a brush. Colouring is done on both the front and back of the puppets. Red and yellow are the most widely used colours. Colours like green and blue are also filled. Some designs are kept black and white and only the
negative spaces are filled with black ink to create contrast. This is usually done by the women in the artisan family. The artisan often makes surplus products during off-season. These products are left at the detailing stage and colours are filled only during the season to prevent them from fading away. 53
PROCESS
After the colours are dry, different types of holes are punched using a punching tool and hammer. The artisans have an array of punch designs to choose from including shapes like clove, diamond, square and circle. Different punches are done at different areas, like for clothing, circular punches are for used, while clove-shaped punches are used for the motifs. This creates an effect of ornamentation of the puppet, highlights its clothing and bringing out different details in contemporary products when light passes through them.
PUNCHING HOLES
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PROCESS
CUTTING
The various parts of the puppet are then cut out separately into head, torso, hands and legs using scissors. At this stage, scrap pieces are left behind. Almost 5 to 10 percent of the leather is left as scarp. The scrap pieces left at this stage are either used for making smaller designs like elephants for
torans or thrown as waste. Since the leather is decomposable when dampened, it starts to decompose in the soil. It may be eaten away by animals or gets decomposed in the soil. The leather which is tanned does not decompose.
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PROCESS
JOINING
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Holes are punched into the parts of the puppet at appropriate locations for making joineries. The parts are then joined using a thread to enable movement. The parts are placed above the main body while tieing it. The leather puppet is secured between two bamboo sticks which are split and flattened, with the help of a thread. Recently it is common to fix together different parts of a puppet’s hands, head, legs to ensure great maneuverability. There is a fine division between the different parts of the body. For instance, the neck and waist are made flexible for dancing. This gives a unique aesthetic joy to discerning audience.
PROCESS
FINISHING
Colours are filled in surplus products stored during the off-season. In the case of contemporary products like lampshades and clocks, the bulb and clock machine are fitted in the frame only at the time of sale to avoid any damage during storage. In case of the puppets, the knots tieing the var-
ious parts are checked for movability. Lastly, the products are folded and kept in a huge box called ganiam. They can keep around 100 puppets , tied together and referred to as Kilubommalu. This way, the puppets are preserved for generations to come. 57
PROCESS Image showing panel with finished outline and a camel puppet with colours.
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PROCESS
Image showing the effect created by punches and the outlining process.
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COLOUR
Traditionally, artisans used natural sources to make different colours, which the artisans made themselves. They believe that the colours that they produce with various leaves and nuts retain their freshness. A. Pink paint was obtained from Papochka fruit. B. Red paint was obtained from Mogdugar flowers from Mogal tree, guava seeds and a particular variety of nut available in North Andhra Pradesh. In another method 50 gm, 25gm and I gm Muttuga, Grant, Lime and Kachu are mixed in 200-300ml of water and filtered. The filtered liquid is dried in the sun. On drying, it leaves a ted powder. This powder is then mixed with Neem gum to make it conducive for application on the leather puppets.
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COLOUR C. Green paint was obtained from Papchi kai D. Yellow paint was obtained from Tangal pool kai E. Blue paint was prepared by mixing the juice of Tumbe plant and Charcoal powder. F. Black paint was obtained from Kajal
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COLOUR
The speciality here is that only red and blue mixed green are transparent colours. Black is opaque. When applying the paint on puppets, they used to use brushes prepared out of squirrel hair and also the hair from the ears of the calf. But nowadays they use common brushes available in the market. In the black and white products, they retain the white of the leather and for the black colour use traditionally made ink from sooth(Massi in Telugu) , jatropha oil or kerosene to make outlines of their designs. While drawing black maize or bamboo sticks are used. On observing carefully one finds that the black lines are drawn with great artistic maturity .
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MOTIFS AND DESIGN
Leather puppets being a pre-requisite of a traditional art form like puppetry, the figures, themes and design motifs have largely been drawn from traditional and religious sources. Epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata largely inspire lampshades of different shapes and sizes. Hindu deities such as Ganesh, Vishnu and Krishna are also depicted on these, as are floral and animal motifs. Ramayana themes often predominate in the designs, with vivid depictions of Hanuman, Ravana with his ten heads, Vinayaka seated regally. Sundarakanda, Lankadahanam, Ravana Vadha and Laxmana Moksha are all portrayed on these. Characters from the Panchatantra are also used. 68
The difference between old leather puppets and modern leather puppets is that in the olden days it was purely used for mythological purposes and were not very functional, nowadays more functional products are being made for business purposes for example wall clocks, lamp shades etc.Though the functionality has changed over time, the use of motifs and the techniques have remained the same.
MOTIFS AND DESIGN Mother earth designs has conducted a workshop and taught the artisans a new designs. The artisans then changed it and modified it according to their necessity and came up with new designs along the way.
Fish puppets
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MOTIFS AND DESIGN
The wastage in the leather after cutting the required pieces for the puppets is used for making ‘thoranams’ - decorations for the house at the entrance. Most of the time the excess and waste pieces are used as small hands and legs for other puppets, there usually are very few pieces which get completely wasted as it always comes of some use for some or the other puppet.
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In the earlier times, puppet making was a flourishing business, especially as puppetry was one of the main forms of entertainment in the villages. But slowly with the decline in this form of shadow theatre, leather puppet makers are being forced to diversify their ware into making utility items such as colorful lampshades or even toys, in order to cater to a new market.
MOTIFS AND DESIGN The fact that the product is now a decorative and/or utility item in a modern world has also brought some changes. The move to make lampshades instead of leather puppets alone is one such strategy to remain responsive to the changing market. However, design inputs will have to keep in mind the different markets being targeted. What is popular in an export market may not necessarily sell well in national exhibitions; so dual product lines need to be developed.
Krishna and Radha
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PRODUCT RANGE
Traditionally, Nimmalakunta artisans used to do puppet shows for a living until they were approached by “Mother Earth�, a tasteful lifestyle brand for people with an Indian design sense. Mother Earth believes in providing great quality goods while nurturing the environment and building on the strengths of marginalized rural communities to create sustainable livelihoods and overall prosperity. Its mission is to enhance and create secure artisanal livelihood through socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.
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Mother Earth, conducted skill development workshops were they were taught how to make commercially viable products out of this craft. The Artisans learned how to make various products like lamp shades, wall hangings, etc from Mother Earth which they later experimented on and incorporated nature themes and made it into their signature designs.
PRODUCT RANGE Nimmalakunta artisans create a variety of products including lamp shades, lamps, wall hangings, decorations, jewellery, paintings and puppets of all sizes. For lamps and lamp shades they get the mild steel base welded from shops in Dharmavaram.
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PRODUCT RANGE
All the products have nature and mythology as their core theme, the artisans also custom make pieces based on client designs. They have started incorporating modern designs into their products to please a wider market of customers. The products that are made are top class in terms of quality and durability and can sustain for 40-50 years in standard conditions.
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The customer can contact the artisans through phone or by mail, and the artisan will then send the design catalog to them from which they can choose their desired design or product. Incase the product is not available in stock , they will make it within the customers deadline.
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THE PERFORMANCE
The opening scene begins as in Yakshagana shows and street plays. As suggested in classical texts, Rama, Krishna, Laxmana, Arjuna, Hanuman come behind the stage attract the attention of the viewers and through their characteristic movements. One does find many written material on thee folk arts. It is evident that the narrative style of “Ranganatha Ramayana� has been adopted into these performances. And since the dialogues are freely and creatively articulated the story gains momentum and greater impact. The performance begins with the Nataraga and concludes with Suruti a speciality of Andhra Pradesh.
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The art of leather puppetry reaches the audience through a minimum of two distinct mediums. Keeping aside the various families that conduct the performance, the art of leather puppetry is entirely dependent on two separate technical elements i.e, Auditory and Visual .
THE PERFORMANCE In this context, note the frequently used riddles in Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Bhagavatham : A.The one who walks around bare foot : Anjaneya B.The one who brought something as he came into the world : Karna C.The daughter of the mountain : Parvathi D.The one who was destroyed because he refused to give : Duryodhana E.The one who lost because he could not deliver : Ravana
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THE PERFORMANCE
Even if there are familiar mythological characters, well established in the minds of the people, the conductor(Sutradhara) of the puppet play uses unusual proverbs and riddles which highlight the idiosyncrasies of each character to enrich and heighten the total aesthetic experience.
What turns out to be the distinct character of leather puppetry is that it gives a composite experience of the people to knit together a new set of values in them and thereby give a philosophical slant to the portrayal. It is for this reasons that we can voucher for a long history of leather puppetry. It is again for this reason that the play has received historical credibility and has remained alive to this day.
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INTERVIEWS
Kumara Tripalu, 52yrs Tripalu is a Master craftsman., has won the Andhra State awardee for leather puppetry. He has received formal education till 5th grade. His motherother Annathamma, 64+ yrs. Has one daughter, studying in 9th grade. Wife is a member of SHG His father bought the current house; they live in about 30-40 yrs ago. They own 2 acres of land for farming, acquired from his father (gov allotted land), after his death. There is no facility for irrigation like canals, so they depend on the rains for cultivation. Tirupal’s wife is from the same city and is a relative of Tirupal. She has had no special or formal training in leather puppet making, she has learnt by watching and practicing herself. They have one daughter who is studying in the 9th grade. She goes to school and helps her parents in puppet making in the evening. Tripupal’s mother is a singer, she sings for the puppet shows. She has even visited Germany for singing in a puppet show. Within the family there are members who only do the sourcing of the skin. They do make puppets but instead try to get the best quality of leather.
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Tirupal once made a set of puppets based on Swachh Bharat theme, there was no particular story or concept but the puppets which were made were for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan political campaign. It was concentrated more on the comic side and was not very serious.
INTERVIEWS
Chalapthi Rao, 72 yrs Chalapathi Rao is a Master craftsman and a national awardee. At the young age of 13 years, he was introduced to the craft by his father and has not received any formal education. Has two sons and three daughters. Rammana, the elder son is a master craftsman. They live in a joint family. All of this three daughters are married to people from the same community The family owns an agricultural land of 5 acre and cultivates groundnuts, during the rains. He owns two houses in Nimmalakunta, one is a workplace and the other where they live.Rural development and tourism department funded building construction of the house where they work. Chalapathi Rao, along with the others, has put up shows in Germany and Spain.
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INTERVIEWS
Sindhe Anjaneyulu, 62yrs Anjaneyalu is a master craftsman and a national awardee. His father Sindhe Narayanappa, was also a puppeteer. Anjaneyalu has not visited any foreign country while his parents have been to France and Germany for Tolubommalata performance He has three sons and one daughter. His wife is the daughter of Chalapathi Rao. The oldest son, chandrashekar and the second son, Hanmanthu are mastercraftsmen. They all live in a joint family of 15 members. The family owns a house in Dharmavaram, where they currently reside. To accommodate the entire family, they’re building a bigger house in Nimmalakunta. They own 8 acres of agricultural land that was received as dowry from chalapathi, when he got married. He learnt the craft from his father. He has not received any formal education, but was home schooled in Sanskrit by his father, in maths and Sanskrit. They used to write on sand and learn the script. Learnt all the shlokas and tales from the epics while learning how to draw and paint from his father. One aspect that he likes the most about the craft is playing with colour combinations while filling in colours.
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INTERVIEWS
Sindhe Sriramalu,
44yrs
Sindhe Sriramalu is Master craftsman and a national awaerdee. His father Kullappa, 67 yrs old, ia also amaster craftsman and they live togerther in a joint family. Sriramalu has received formal education up to 7th grade. His Father receives a pension of Rs.2250 from Andhra state government. He has one son and one daughter. His daughter, 23yrs, is married to an artisan; she has completed formal education and has acquired a degree for B.Ed. before the marriage she used to teach in a school nearby. Sriramalu’s wife Lalitamma, had applied for national award but could not get through the last round. however she is planning on trying next year again. Sriramalu has exhibited his work in Singapore, Argentina, Budapest and Israel. he gets called to conducts workshops and teach students from various colleges from Mumbai.
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Market Analysis
The Indian handicrafts industry is highly labor intensive, cottage based and decentralized. The industry is spread all over the country mainly in rural and urban areas. Most of the manufacturing units are located in rural and small towns even though its main market lies in the cities of India and abroad. Handicraft industry is a major source of income for rural communities- employing over six million artisans including a large number of women and people belonging to the weaker sections of the society. The advent of other modes of entertainment caused a decline in patronage of this art. Puppeteers have channeled this art into making commercial products like lampshades, wall clocks, wall hangings etc. This helped them to expand the market and keep up with the pace of current requirements and various trends without disturbing the basic traditional character. The creators of these puppets have discovered lampshades on leather to be the best medium to not only keep their traditions and art alive but also serve as a source of livelihood. Though the medium of expression has changed, the form and methods continues to be the same as earlier. In the present day, leather craft of India has become a big industry and caters not only to local but also to the foreign needs.
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SUB TOPIC
Leather puppets and other commercial products are sold through exhibitions, emporiums (such as Lepakshi) and other crafts stores. According to the craftsmen, the government needs to play a more proactive role in marketing and in providing infrastructural support such as setting up exclusive showrooms. They believe that the export potential exists but has not been to tapped enough.
Showrooms and exhibitions in bangalore. Lampshades are usually displayed in the exhibitions which happen across various cities. All artisans sell the lampshades at almost the same rate though there is no particular association or group which has been established. The rates mostly depend on the labour intensiveness and the use of techniques and colour. 93
Market Analysis
Lampshades dian than that is the shades as
have a bigger market around Inany other form of product and reason tirupal makes more lamphe considers business important.
Tirpal does not do any other job other than making puppets as he claims to not have the skill to do any other job. Though everybody appreciates the craft, the audience for the puppet shows are becoming lesser and lesser therefore artisans have started concentrating more on business through lampshades. A lot of export of leather items used to take place, now it has reduced therefore prices of leather has also gone down. The peak season for leather puppetry is during October, November and December as it is the festival time. They make the most number of puppets during this season.
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SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS • Designs can be changed as well as customized according to the customer. • Handicraft industry requires low capital investment. • Usually in this field artisans are not pressurized and can work,as they like. • There is less competition among the artisans. • They get a helping hand from the government. • Exhibitions act as a good platform for private buyers. Usually there is no middle man, so a direct contact with the local artisans can be easily built.
WEAKNESSES • Local artisans are unaware about the domestic, national and international market trends and their requirements. • Because if the inadequate information of nee technology available to them, they lack behind in updating themselves. • Due to lack of promotion, buyers are very few in number. • Their business is limited to a few exhibitions and private patrons only. • Even now, many communities do not prefer buying products made out of leather.
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SWOT ANALYSIS
OPPORTUNITIES • There is rising demand for handicraft products in developed countries such as USA, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy etc. • Development of domestic tourism sector, which can help in promotion of the craft. • Incorporating this craft as a part of the hotel industry or multi- national firms to create awareness among the national and international crowd. • In advancement of e-commerce and internet through select distribution channels to market and sell the craft products.
THREATS • As we can find the availability of cheaper and better quality products, the artisans have to suffer with less profit. • With higher pay in other sectors and better job opportunities, artisans change their lifestyle. • For better lifestyle, youth opting for other careers. • Constant upheaval of internet and television has lead to non-interest in arts like theatre and puppet shows.
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LEARNING EXPERIENCE
From the rooster’s call during the wee hours of dawn, to the chirping of crickets in the evening, during our field trip to the village of Nimmalakunta, we could witness it all. Nestled away in the serenity of nature, Nimmalakunta is a tiny village where craft thrives as the main source of income among its residents. Spending days over here was living a life less explored. Despite the humble amount of income that the artisans make, the generosity shown by them speaks volumes. The artisans and their families touched our hearts by their hospitality. From providing us with delicious meal, to passing on snacks and coffee during the slow afternoons, the families of artisans made sure that we feel welcome. We got the opportunity to see a national award holder working in his element while having a conversation with him about the craft, as his daughter served us some roasted beans. Tracing our hands over the lines and cuts of centuries old puppets, and watching the puppet show as the artisans sing and play the music gave us goosebumps. The energy in the atmosphere and in the hall room felt cosmic, and eyes of the watchers gleamed with glory at the sight of the beautiful puppet show. The energy of the performance is such, that the language doesn’t seem to matter. This proves to say that the art has its own language which is understood by all. The artisans show sincere passion towards the craft, and that has made us believe that shadow Puppetry will continue to thrive on. While talking to the artisans, we realised that efforts are made for the craft form to adapt to the changing times, and that is one of the main reasons for it to survive. “A journey of the lifetime” is the best suited phrase that we can use to describe our whole experience at Nimmalakunta,
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LEARNING EXPERIENCE
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