A small house in a narrow by-lane off Panavila Junction is home to hundreds of characters and stories.
These characters and stories come alive on stage when master puppeteer Sunil Pattimattom breathes life into them. Neatly arranged on clothes lines are costumes for an array of characters portrayed by the puppets. Taking two of the inert hand-glove puppets, he puts them on and suddenly they come to life as they converse with each other. Sunil’s skill as a ventriloquist comes to the fore as he easily “holds a conversation” with them.
Sunil and his glove puppets have travelled all across Kerala, telling stories that usually have messages against social evils woven into the narrative. “Those are the kind of stories I like to perform. Puppetry is a powerful medium to put across different views and I use my skills to fight different kinds of abuse: drugs, alcohol, dowry,” he says.
A native of Ernakulam district, he made his home in the city some two decades ago when he came in search of a future. His innate talent and interest in theatre was honed by Babu Angamaly, a local puppeteer in their neighbourhood in Ernakulam.
“A relative of mine was living in the capital city and that is how I made my way to the city. I managed to get a temporary job in Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium and while that helps me make ends meet, it is puppetry that has taken me places,” says Sunil.
He began with writing short plays for All India Radio in 2007 and Kanavinte Theerathekku , a series, has completed more than 500 episodes on AIR. Puppet shows came later, after a visit to the Poojappura Juvenile Home. Confident that he could do a better job, Sunil procured a set of one-feet hand glove puppets and began performing.
For a cause
Since then, Vision of Life, Sunil’s puppet company, has been performing on behalf of many government and quasi-government organisations. He recalls with gratitude that it was Rishiraj Singh, Director General of Prisons, who first gave him a break and roped him in to perform at different places against substance abuse when the former was Excise Commissioner.
“The response was extremely good and I travelled all over Kerala with my puppets. They strike a chord with children and can raise subjects that they may not be comfortable discussing with adults,” says Sunil.
Sunil says he would use his car to set up a stage and put up plays. In some places, the team would create a pit-like space for the performance, thus making it possible to get closer to the eye level of the audience.
Great medium
The highlight of his career, he says, was when he got an opportunity through a good Samaritan to perform at Raj Bhavan for P Sathasivam, former Governor of Kerala. Showing a letter given by the Governor, Sunil recounts how encouraging the Governor was and how he motivated Sunil to continue his work.
Sunil’s dream is to open a full-fledged school to teach volunteers and students the art of puppetry because he feels it is an excellent medium to interact with children. “I have sent a proposal to the government to see if they can incorporate puppetry as a tool for teaching in lower primary classes. I am still waiting for a response,” he says.
He will be holding a workshop today (October 5) at the YWCA. It is open to children between the ages of eight and 14. Contact: 9495172277
