DIFFERENT PUPPETS OF EASTERN INDIA

Once a string puppet group came to a remote village of Purulia district for performance and inspired Shambhu Mahato, a local resident, to open a group of string puppets, -- along with his friends Dhananjoy and Panchanan. Since Shambhu had no experience of making puppets and there was none in the village to help him, he tried out making string puppets from wood, plastic, tin, etc. While arms and fists were made from plastic glass, and upper limbs from rubber pipe, costumes came out from old sarees, with control by iron rods. Together with his friends and neighbours, Shambhu started manipulation. Shambhu’s nephew Tulsipada, a singer, took charge of music composition and used Jhumur, a folk music that is very popular in Purulia. Since every villager knew Jhumur songs, the production was a hit.

They began performing in neighbouring villages, fairs and weekend markets. But since the makeshift puppets could not last long, and Shambhu was keen to compete with others, he decided to choose Chhau dance for which Purulia is justly famous. From his use of Chhau masks, instead of tin-faces, a new type of puppet was born. This is the story behind the group Shiv-Shambhu Putul Party. While they started with Chhau dance for the puppets, they bought popular scripts of Yatra that were readily available in the market and transformed them into puppet drama. They preferred Puranic themes, according to audience demand. Haradhan Mahato, a Chhau dancer, became the new music director and percussionist.  But, since Chhau is a very virile dance with lots of summersaults, spinning, squatting and jumps, such acrobatics were not possible to be shown by string puppets. So a devise was invented: when they needed such body tricks, they dropped the screen and used a wooden rod puppet to show these tricks.

The traditional instruments of Chhau dance are harmonium, dhamsa, nakara, sehnai, to which they have added dhol, flute, maracas, etc. Plays are prepared as Chhau palas, such as, Abhmanyu Badh, Parushuramer Guru Darshan, Mahishasur Badh, etc. Shambhu Mahato’s troupe is the first Chhau puppet group in Purulia, whose members are all labourers in the field. They generally give free show in the nearby villages, because, other than petromax, no stage or accessories are needed. Their performance arena is in the middle of a village, surrounded by audience as in Chhau dance. But they need proper stage and light in the city, where they charge money.  The Chhau puppets have proved hugely popular, but without much financial support.

At Silchar, Durga Acharjya and his son make rod puppets from paper. The puppet-rods are mounted on a wheel-cart, with limbs manipulated by pulling the attached strings from below. Like Yampuri, the stage is dug at three levels to create the illusion of distance. Puppeteers sit on the ground, use sceneries and put a net-screen at the front of the stage.

Sarat Saikia Of Jorhat

Sarat Saikia, a carpenter by profession, hails from a remote village Merapani, near Assam-Nagaland border. Quite adept in making unusual furniture, he makes wooden puppets (from Gamari tree) that have strings on hands and legs. By a unique use of levers, where the strings are attached to bars, hands and legs are moved by lever manipulation. Puppet have costumes carves on them and bear Naga features. Sarat, a self-taught puppeteer, performs his shows to the village children free of cost.