They are cut out from the hides of buffalo and deerskin, painted with vegetable dyes and fastened with sticks. The leather puppets, which are approximately 80cm in height, are made by Lakshman and his sons, with help from other family members. The master puppeteer is called the “pulavan”, which derives from their family name Pulavar, meaning learned scholar. His family are the sole keepers of the 300-year-old artform, and have been performing it for eight generations. He has been performing since he was a child, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and those before them. Sixty-two-year-old Lakshman Pulavar is one of them. Ten artists – the master puppeteer, singers, storytellers and other puppeteers – are highly skilled in the artform. A view of the puppets from behind the screen Ībout 160 puppets are used to represent the 70-odd characters of Kamba Ramayana, narrated in diction which is a mix of Malayalam and Tamil, with songs and poetry called Adalpattu. It is said that tholpavakoothu is performed to please the Goddess Bhadrakali, as she could not witness the slaying of the demon king Ravana by Rama, which is why an idol of the goddess is placed on a pedestal in front of the stage. Tholpavakoothu is based on Kamba Ramayana (the Tamil version of the epic Ramayana), which tells the story of the Hindu God Sri Rama from his birth to his coronation as the king of Ayodhya. Fireworks go off to announce the start of the performance and then, in total darkness except for the light of the lamp, a sense of calmness prevails.Ī row of 21 wicks placed in coconut shells are lit behind the screen, made up of a white cloth stretched across the koothumadam, bordered by a black cloth. The festive air is palpable as a rhythmic drum beat begins and the performers emerge carrying a lighted lamp. It displays mythological figures backlit by fire or lights behind a screen. Performed three to four times a month between January and May, a 42-foot-long special stage called koothumadam is set up in the temple premises. The artform is found only in Palakkad, Thrissur and neighbouring villages in Kerala. Tholpavakoothu (thol meaning leather, pava meaning puppet and koothu meaning play) is a form of shadow puppetry performed during events and festivals held in the temples dedicated to the goddesses Durga or Kaali. They are a mix of locals and tourists from all over the world. Students enrolled in this course learn how to design, make and perform with table puppets, finger puppets and marionettes.Koonathara, Palakkad – A cool breeze, soulful prayer verses and eye-catching puppetry mesmerise the 25-plus audience sitting in chairs under the night sky of Koonathara, a village in Palakkad district in Kerala, India. Exploring the puppet theater arts opens the door to history, music, math, science, creative writing and language arts, painting, sculpting, acting, dance and many other disciplines that have their roots in a multitude of cultures, some of which have puppetry traditions that extend back for thousands of years. Puppetry integrates more art forms, disciplines and subject matter than any other creative or dramatic medium. However, the value goes much, much further. According to Frisch (2004), at their most basic, puppets are an exceptional means of conveying a message. The California State Curriculum Guide states that puppetry is an ideal instrument for aiding in language development. But when stories are acted out in front of the children using stand-up puppets or marionettes, the experiences have a very calming and healing effect on the children.”īecause of its value, puppetry has fast become one of the most popular forms of educational instruction in traditional elementary schools. Rahima Baldwin Dancy, a Waldorf early childhood educator, notes that “when stories and fairy tales are translated into cartoons or movies, they lose their evocative quality and are often too powerful…for young children. Puppets and puppet shows are not only beautiful, but provide many advantages. The draw forth from children their imagination and allow the story to take them where they need to do as far as the inner life working pictures. Puppet shows draw the child into a story, watching it unfold step by step, grow and change, and these pictures are taken right into the stream of life forces, without creating hard and fixed impressions. Puppetry (finger puppets, small puppets and marionettes) are common within Waldorf schools because they are a living play imbued with inner imagination and fantasy. “We must do everything in our power to help the children to develop fantasy.” ~ Rudolf Steiner.
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