A young man dashes behind the screen, making it just in time to ensure that the diya doesn’t go out. He has to do this multiple times during an hour-long performance, all the while making sure not to disturb the equipment and his fellow workers.
All of them are tholpavakoothu puppeteers, artists who perform while invisible to their audience.
The puppeteers are moving constantly on the other side of this white cotton screen, leather puppets in hand. Near their feet lie about 50-60 other puppets, ready to be used on cue. A story is being narrated through the speakers, and shown through the shadows.
The nature of this art is such that the real performance goes unnoticed. So when puppeteer Ramachandra Pulavar was awarded a Padma Shri – the fourth-highest civilian award in the country – in 2021, it was a cause for celebration and a time for acknowledgement. In his speech, the tholpavakoothu artist said, “this recognition… credits the collective effort made by the entire troupe over the years to ensure the survival of this puppet theatre.”
The success of Pulavar and his troupe has, however, come at a price. Both critics and devotees have accused them of turning the art into a business. Ramachandra is not too concerned about the criticism. “It has to be a business for us to eat and survive,” he says. “If actors and dancers can charge money for what they do, why can't puppeteers do the same?”
