“Long long ago, there lived a prince called Dhola and a princess, Maru. Circumstances had forced their families apart into different kingdoms. What Dhola didn’t remember, and Maru did, is that the two of them had taken each other as husband and wife, when they were children… But then, a witch laid her eyes on Dhola.” Puran Bhat’s voice over the phone from Delhi is tinny, but filled with longing, adventure, danger, and love.
The founder of Aakaar Puppet Theatre has been telling Rajasthani folk tales through his traditional wood-and-cotton string creations for three decades, and this weekend, he will be bringing his show to Chennai’s Phoenix MarketCity.
“Our group does both traditional and contemporary puppeteering. There are basically four types: glove puppets, rod puppets, string puppets and shadow puppets — that are popular in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Rajasthani ones are traditionally string, but in contemporary puppeteering, you don’t have to stick to a particular style. You can mix and match depending on what the script or production demands,” says Puran. The Rajasthani puppets, he informs, are made of mango wood and cotton.
“Usually, the threads connect the puppets to a cross-shaped wooden controller, which is then manipulated. But the speciality of Rajasthani ones is that all the threads: be them two or 20, are knotted together and attached to the fingers of the puppeteers directly,” he says.
Though Puran belongs to the Nagaur district of Rajasthan, he is based out of Kathputli Colony in Shadipur Depot area of Delhi, home to street performers: magicians, snake charmers, acrobats and musicians. His family helps him design, craft, clothe and paint the puppets. Ask him how many puppets he has made so far and he says, “I have lost count! But I’m bringing 25 to Chennai: nine for Dhola Maru and the rest for Swagat , a play in which we show the colours of Rajasthan.”
He collaborates with freelancers — some more regularly than others — to take his show around the globe. Just this week, his troupe was in China, working with a dance production using 12-feet tall puppets as props.
“I have been to about 25 countries such as the US, the UK, Germany, France, and Spain… sometimes simply performing, and sometimes collaborating with the local theatre, dance and storytelling groups,” he says.
A step ahead
Traditionally, the artiste hides behind a white curtain, from behind which he manipulates the dolls. “The show used to be a form of entertainment; puppets would just dance to live dholak music and songs. There wouldn’t be any dialogues,” he says, “But for Dhola Maru , we have turned the show into a nautanki , a proper play.”
In another major break from tradition, Puran and his troupe will be moving around the stage with the puppets. This, he says, allows the puppets more depth and space to build their characters. Moreover, the audience can then see the relationship between an artiste and his puppet.
He adds, “It is a testament to the skills of the puppeteer that when the puppet comes alive, despite there being people on stage, the dolls are all you can see. Everything, everyone else, fades into the background.”
The Aakaar Puppet Theatre group’s performance is slated for May 4 and 5, at 6 pm in Phoenix MarketCity. The performance on May 4 will be preceded by a workshop on Rajasthani puppetry at 12 pm. Contact 66513007.
