Two Tholpavakoothu puppets from the district are on display at a prestigious international exhibition being held at Chuncheon in South Korea.
The puppets of Hanuman and Ravana will be boasting India’s long tradition of shadow puppetry for 10 months at the Chuncheon Puppet Museum, Korea.
The year-long exhibition of puppets is being held as part of the 2022 general assembly of the International Association of Puppet-Friendly Cities popular by the French acronym AVIAMA (Association des Villes Amies de la Marionnette).
Signing the contract with the Chuncheon authorities, Tholpavakoothu exponent Sajeesh Pulavar said that it was a recognition not only for the traditional temple art of shadow puppetry from the State, but also for the entire country which has given the world the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharat.
“The leather puppets of Ravana and Hanuman were chosen for the exhibition as they perfectly suited the Chuncheon theme of ‘traditional and contemporary Asian puppetry,” said Mr. Sajeesh.
Apart from the Tholpavakoothu puppets, a few puppets of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka too have been selected for the exhibition jointly being organised by the International Puppetry Association known by its French acronym UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionnette) and the Puppet Festival Chuncheon.
“Most traditional Indian puppet shows tell the story of Ramayana and Mahabharat. In States such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha, it is exclusively Ramayana,” said Mr. Sajeesh.
The Korean authorities have given the following description for the Tholpavakoothu puppets displayed at the museum: “Tholpavakoothu is a traditional shadow puppet theatre in Kerala, southwestern India. It is mainly made of deer and goat skins, and two sticks are used to control the puppet.”
Quoting the Chuncheon officials, Mr. Sajeesh said the exhibition was well curated. “They give good description to our traditional temple art, and it would serve a window to a larger world of traditional art,” he said.
Apart from Kerala, States such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha too have traditional puppet theatres. If it is Tholpavakoothu in Kerala, it is Tholu Bommalatam in Tamil Nadu, Tholu Bommalatta in Andhra Pradesh, Thogalu Gombeyatta in Karnataka and Raban Chhaya in Odisha. Although Kerala has another puppet art named Pavakkathakali too, it remains less popular.
Supported by his father and veteran Tholpavakoothu artiste M. Lakshmana Pulavar, Mr. Sajeesh said that the post-pandemic scenario had opened a great opportunity for the traditional Indian artistes to present their art across the world.
Lakshmana Pulavar is known for his ability to present 2,100 verses of Ramayana from the birth of Sri Rama to his ascension. “He is an artiste who knows all the verses by heart and who can present the entire Ramayana in Tholpavakoothu in 21 days,” said Mr. Sajeesh.
He said that apart from the traditional Ramayana story, they had attempted several other contemporary stories, including the COVID-19 theme.
