Sangeeth Sankar

Archana Shukla

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Looking at the spread of various puppets in front of him, Ramachandra Pulavar says, “For us, these are not mere leather objects. They are gods and goddesses, and embodiments of divine spirits.” The intricately crafted figures laid in front of him are used in tholpavakoothu puppetry, a popular form of theatre in this southern coastal area – the Malabar region of Kerala. These figurines have traditionally been crafted by members of some communities like Chakkiliyan. With the decline in the popularity of the art, they have moved away. Craftsmen like Krishnankutty Pulavar have taken on the task of teaching the art of puppet making to keep the craft alive. His son, Ramachandra has gone even further and is training women in his family and neighbourhood in the art of puppet making. Rajalakshmi, Rajitha and Aswathi are women puppeteers in a space traditionally restricted to men working in temple premises.These puppets are considered divine figures not just by the workers, but also by the devotees that attend the show. They are crafted using buffalo and goat skin. The puppeteers start the process by carefully sketching the designs on the skins and use specialised tools like chisels and punches for carving. “Acquiring these tools has become challenging due to the scarcity of skilled blacksmiths,” says Rajeev Pulavar, Ramachandra’s son.

The designs on the puppets are inspired from nature and mythology,  grains of rice, the moon and the sun, paying homage to the beauty of the natural world. Motifs like the drums of Lord Shiva and specific costume patterns draw from mythological tales that are sung during the puppetry performance. Watch: <a id="22919" linktype="page">Tholpavakoothu puppetry is for everyone</a>.Puppeteers still use natural pigments to colour the puppets – a labour-intensive process, and so they have started incorporating acrylic colours, especially on goat skins, which allows for experimentation with design and colour patterns.The tholpavakoothu tradition is a symbol of the multicultural and syncretic traditions in the Malabar region of Kerala and the growth of diverse puppeteers is a heartening trend.

This story is supported by a fellowship from Mrinalini Mukherjee Foundation (MMF).

Stories told in leather

چمڑے کی شبیہوں کے ذریعے داستان گوئی

తోలుతో చెప్పే కథలు

தோலில் சொல்லும் கதைகள்

ਚਮੜਾ ਬਣਿਆ ਗਵਾਹ ਕਹਾਣੀਆਂ ਦਾ

ଚମଡ଼ାରେ କୁହାଯାଉଥିବା କାହାଣୀ

कातड्यावरची कलाकुसर जेव्हा कहाण्या सांगते

ಚರ್ಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳಿದ ಕಥೆಗಳು

चमड़े की आकृतियों से बयान होते पवित्रताओं के क़िस्से

ચામડાની કૃતિઓથી કહેવાતી કથાઓ

देवी-देंवता के कहिनी कहत चमड़ा

चमड़ा के जुबानी, देवता-पित्तर के कहानी

চামড়ায় আঁকা ছায়াপুতুলের গল্প

তোলপাৱকুট্টুৰ পুতলা নাচত সংহতি আৰু শ্ৰদ্ধাৰ সমাহাৰ

തുകലിൽ വിരിയുന്ന കഥകൾ

Koonathara, Vaniyamkulam

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Stories told in leather

Tholpavakoothu puppet-making is a rare skill that calls for working with buffalo and goat skin to create divine figures. This art is now also being done by women in the Malabar region

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