Renowned shadow puppetry expert Ramachandra Pulavar and his team are back here, after introducing the art of Tholpavakkoothu at an international puppetry show held in Thailand’s capital Bangkok.
Artistes from many counties who attended the week-long global puppetry event had been wowed by Kerala’s own shadow puppetry using leather puppets.
The Tholpavakkoothu team comprising Ramachandra Pulavar, Rahul Pulavar, Rajalakshmi, Manoj and Vishnu represented India in the Thai mela, which delved deep into the vistas of global puppetry.
“It was a confluence of puppetry artistes from around the world,” said Mr. Pulavar.
The team not only introduced the art through seminars and documentaries, but also taught participants the art of leather puppet making. They staged Ramayana in its original form using leather puppets in shadows created by 21 oil lamps. A koothumadam was set up with available resources.
For the first time ever, the Tholpavakkoothu team took part in a fashion parade of puppets held as part of the Thai mela. “It was an amazingly different kind of experience,” said Mr. Pulavar.
He said the audience had knowledge of the story of Ramayana, and therefore could enjoy every bit of the presentation the team made.
He said the Thai people had a special liking for puppetry, and the week-long event demonstrated their thirst to learn from other cultures.
