The Hindu Business Line : Time loosens the strings of puppetry

IT was Shivnath Pandurang Kanekar who alerted me to the existence of puppeteer Parshuram Gangavane of Pinguli village, Kudal jilla, Sindhudurg district. Kudal is about 20 km from Sawantwadi and one has to travel another 10 km to reach Pinguli village, draped in lush greenery.

The family directed us to Pinguli bazaar where Parshuram Gangavane is running a tea and cold drink shop. A scooter accident has broken his left leg and he limps over to welcome us. The shop has some four tables, a few chairs and no clients.

We were not sure if the well-built Parshuram Gangavane was the same puppeteer. The artist sensed our doubts to tell us, "My puppetry skills do not take me any far. So, I have started the tea shop to keep the family of two sons and a daughter going."

Belonging to the Thakkar community, the Gangavane family has been earning a living out of puppetry for the last many generations. Now, Gangavane gets a few invitations to exhibit his skills in and around Pinguli village and sometimes in major cities but there is no continuity.

Parshuram carves wooden puppets, makes them dance at festivals and also doubles as the sutradhar and the tablaichi. He takes us back to his home and we bring down from a cement loft a large trunk full of wooden puppets, which, he reckons to be at least 100 years old.

"My father and grandfather used the puppets and now I take them out of the trunk when there is a show," Parshuram says as he pulls out a coloured Ganapati, followed by a 10-headed Ravana and then Lord Rama. Apparently, the tale of Rama still holds the public's attention. Then from a chest of drawers he pulls out old watercolour paintings on paper of the Ramayana. "These are also pretty old and at one time the Kelkar Museum in Pune was keen on them,'' he adds. Now they have started rotting and in another 10 years the old paintings may not exist.

Even today Parshuram Gangavane does make wooden puppets when somebody places an order. "I am the only one left still interested in puppets and puppetry," he casually intones to himself.

The Kalsutri toys used for the puppet show are mentioned in the 15th chapter of the famous and sacred Gyaneshwari written by Sant Gyaneshwar. The Pinguli puppet art has some links with those in Rajasthan.

Kalsutri toys have two parts with the upper portion (above the hips) made of light and soft wood with the face carved in colours. The lower portions sans legs are always draped in circular and colourful petticoats. In the Rajasthan version, the puppets have legs. Most of the toys are less than ¾ of a foot while the rakshasas are over 1.5-foot-long. Probably a sign of modern times.

The puppet shows are usually performed on a stage about three feet above the ground. A 8ft x4 ft tent covered on three sides with the fourth open to the public is set up on the stage. The stage is divided into two parts by a cloth curtain with the sutradhar standing behind manipulating the strings attached to the marionettes. The skill lies in the sutradhar using his fingers to manipulate four puppets at a time.

Yet another speciality of the puppet show at Pinguli village is that the puppets come on the stage dancing to a song while the rakshasas land from the skies. Lord Ganesh and Goddess Saraswathi fly off the stage while the battle between Lakshmana and Meghnad is done on a darkened stage. The entry of the rakshasas is accompanied by the sutradhar raising a huge din by beating the drums at a feverish pace.

In the past, puppet shows had keen patrons in the royalty while today there are no patrons, with most viewers turning to the TV. The politician is not keen as the proposition does not fill the pockets. Again, the TV does not demand any level of literacy from its viewers while in the past the puppet show was enjoyed by a crowd who at least knew their Ramayana by ear.

Some six years ago, a collector tried to set up an institute to develop the tradition but that did not work out as none in the village was prepared to part with six acres of land. "Today, the younger generation is not keen as otherwise I am prepared to pass on my know-how," admits Parshuram. Maybe the poetry and art of Parshuram Gangavane are not meant for 2002 A.D.

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