Rod Puppet Forms in India

Rod puppets are an extension of glove puppets. Rod puppets are larger than glove puppets and are supported and manipulated from below using one or more rods/sticks of different sizes. Rod puppetry is famous in the states of West Bengal and Orissa. These puppets usually are made of 3 joints. The head of the puppet is supported by the main rod and is joined at the neck and both hands are attached to the rods at the shoulder.

The main rod is hidden by a robe or costume of the puppet. The action rods are connected to the hands of the puppet. The hands are manipulated by the puppeteer to show action. The body and the hands of the puppet are made using bamboo, rice husk,  hay. All are mixed and moulded into the necessary shape. There are no legs for the puppets. Puppets are draped in dhoti or sari as per the requirements of the characters.

Aspirants would find this topic very helpful in the IAS Exam.

Rod Puppetry in States Across India

West Bengal Rod Puppetry – Putul Nach

1. Rod puppetry is practised in West Bengal
2. Rod Puppetry in West Bengal is called Putul Nach.
3. Putul Nach can be translated as dancing dolls
4. These puppets can weigh up to 10 kilograms.
5. The height of the puppets are 1.5 metres and they are built over 2.5-metre long bamboo sticks.
6. Puppets are decorated in local painting style and costumes are elegantly decorated.
7. The theme of the plays are on Ramayana, Satee Behula. These days apart from folk stories even movie plots are used for puppet plays.

Odisha Rod Puppetry – Kathi Kandhe

1. In Orissa, the Rod Puppetry is known as Kathi Kandhe.
2. Compared to Putul Nach rod puppets of West Bengal, the Kathi Kandhe rod puppets are much smaller in size.
3. The size of Orissa Rod Puppets are about 12 to 18 inches.
4. The stories are based on epic stories of Ramayana, Puranas and social issues.
5. The puppets are manipulated by the puppeteers squatting behind a screen.
6. This form of puppetry is specifically popular in Kendujhar District.
7. The music in the play begins with a short piece of ritual orchestral preliminary called Stuti and is followed by the play.
8. Generally, medieval songs like Bhajan, Champu, Koili and Chautisha are sung during the performance. However, the songs are sung differently or the style is consciously changed to make it more popular

Bihar – Yampuri

1. The Rod puppetry practised in Bihar is known as Yampuri.
2. The Rod puppets in Bihar are made of wood.
3. Another major difference in rod puppetry of Bihar and rod puppetry of West Bengal and Orissa is that here the puppets do not have any joints.
4. As the puppets do not have any joints, there is not much flexibility in the arms and legs of puppets, hence the puppeteers need to have a great skillset while playing Yampuri rod puppets.

Puppet – Meaning and Types Used in India and across the world

A doll or a figure controlled by a person so that it appears to be moving on its own is called a puppet.
List of 4 major types of puppets used in India is given below.

1. Glove Puppets
2. Rod Puppets
3. Shadow Puppets
4. String Puppets

Puppet – Types Used Across the World
Many varieties of Puppetry exist across the globe. Some of the types of puppets used across the globe are listed below.

1. Black Light Puppet – Puppets are lit with Ultra Violet (UV) light
2. Bunraku Puppet – Used in Japan
3. Carnival Puppet – Used in USA, South Africa
4. Light Curtain Puppet
5. Motekar – Kind of Shadow Puppet forms used in Indonesia
6. Object Puppet – This puppet is assembled using everyday objects.

Puppetry – Importance

Puppetry is important because it can help children in developing the following skills.

1. Language and Communication skills
2. Helps in social and emotional development
3. Helps in increasing listening skills
4. Helps in using their imagination.

Puppetry Art – Reasons Behind its Lack of Popularity

There are various reasons which are listed below

1. Lack of patronage in the modern age.
2. Competition from Electronic media which is a preferred mode of entertainment. People find it more appealing to watch mythological stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata on electronic media rather than in Puppetry.
3. Puppetry Art is usually confined to only devotional and mythological stories.
4. With changing times, Puppetry does not take up modern social issues.
5. Puppetry lacks modernization in terms of script, lighting, sound and other stage effects.

Rod Puppet Forms of India – UPSC Notes:- Download PDF Here

The above details would help candidates prepare for UPSC 2023.

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