At a time when puppetry is being considered a dying art, this puppeteer from Hoovinahalli in Hassan district is trying to keep the tradition alive. Having spent over five decades practising and promoting puppetry, Gunduraju was in the city to showcase its relevance at the ‘Puppet Utsav’ organised by Anavarana Trust at Ravindra Kalakshetra.
For him, puppetry is a 200-year-old family legacy, and he specialises in leather puppetry, unique to Karnataka. “Puppetry has been in my family for five generations now. What I practice is Togalu Gombe Aata,” said Mr. Gunduraju, who has given over 25,000 performances across the country and abroad.
Through his puppetry, he brings to life stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana, Shiva Purana, Devi Bhagavata Purana and Janapada Kathegalu (Kannada folk stories).
At the Utsav, the puppeteer presented ‘Suprabha Vilasa’, the story of a lesser known, but brave princess Suprabha from Nepal. His performance combined music and visual elements. For all of his shows, Mr. Gunduraju makes the puppets himself.
As part of conservation efforts, Mr. Gunduraj started the Gombe Ramaiah Indian Leather Puppetry Research and Training Centre Trust. The centre has been conserving and performing the traditional art of leather puppetry from Karnataka and parts of Andhra Pradesh.
Workshops are conducted for students and so far 200 have been trained. “The only way to revive the art is by making people aware about the relevance of puppetry. Hence, training students is an essential part of the trust’s activities,” he said.
Mr. Gunduraj is an award-winning puppeteer and has received accolades, such as Jnana Vignana Award by Karnataka Janapada Yakshagana Academy, Rangabharathi Award from Nataka Academy and the Karnataka Janapada Parishath Award. He won silver medal in the 3rd Delphic Games held in Korea.
The puppet utsav is till November 23 and artists such as Puran Bhat and Ramachandra Pulavar will be presenting Rajasthani Kathputli and Kerala Tholpavakoothu, respectively.
