Using strings, sticks, shadows and more, master puppeteers have presented a sampling of their arts to Chennaites over the past couple of weekends, at Phoenix MarketCity. The puppetry festival has included Kerala shadow puppetry or Tholpavakoothu , the acclaimed Aakaar Theatre Group from Rajasthan, wooden puppets from national award winner Dattatreya Aralikatte and even puppets incorporated into a presentation by visual artist Seema Kohli. It culminates today with fun offerings from the Kolkata-based Tal-Betal group.
This may be their first performance in Chennai, but the puppet company has been around for over 45 years. On the phone from Kolkata, master puppeteer Subhasis Sen shares how Tal-Betal was started by his father, who wanted to convey the children’s stories he wrote through this rich artistic form. “The family hobby grew into a great passion” and in 1999, Sen gave up a lucrative banking career to do puppetry full time.
More than a craft
His own passion for the art-form crackles down the phone line as he explains, “Puppets are an extension of the [puppeteer’s] body and soul. It is a neutral object, activated by our emotions in a mysterious way.” They use puppets typically made of natural or even recycled materials. Adds Sen emphatically, “It can be crafty, but puppetry is not a craft, it is an art.”
The meaning of Tal-Betal points to the company’s performance philosophy. It refers to the stories of King Vikramaditya and his canny spirit-storyteller, Betaal. Equally, it can mean “being in and out of rhythm”, which encapsulates the spirit and dangers of live performance, or life itself.
In Chennai, they will perform two stories presented by six puppeteers using glove puppets. A Runaway Doughnut is derived from a Russian version of the popular fairy-tale Gingerbread Man . A childless couple create a doughnut that comes alive, but then must run for its life as everyone wants to eat it.
The other piece, Bhabam the Barber, is based on a folk story, and revitalises the fact that Truth cannot be suppressed and will always find a way to express itself. When Bhabam is ordered to cut the king’s hair, he discovers that the ruler has horns. He is ordered to keep quiet about it, with piquant results.
The group will also conduct a half-hour workshop, where they will introduce several aspects of puppetry, including making and manipulating puppets.
Sen hopes to see Chennaites in large numbers for the show. Age is no bar, for he believes that the puppetry shows will appeal both to children and to the child lurking in every adult.
Watch Tal-Betal puppetry in action today, at Phoenix MarketCity. Workshop at 12 pm and performance from 6 pm.
