Udupi: Puppetry Troupe From State to Perform in Switzerland
News and Pics By Shekar Ajekar
for Daijiworld Media Network — Udupi (CN)
Udupi, Jun 16: The Sri Ramanjaneya Togalu Gombe Mela ®, a shadow puppetry troupe from the state, has been invited to perform in Zurich, Switzerland. The group from Bellary will perform as part of the ‘Ramayanam’ exhibit being sponsored by the Museum Rietberg.
‘Sita Swayamvara’ or the choosing of Rama as husband, the abduction of Sita, and ‘Bapu Katha’ or the story of Mahatma Gandhi, are the three themes chosen by the troupe to be presented in Zurich. There will be two performances every day from June 29 to July 6, 2008, on the museum premises.
The group hopes that by presenting the episode on Gandhiji, they will be able to leave a lasting impression on children besides passing on the message of national integration. They have the distinction of being the first to handle such a historical theme through the medium of puppetry.
The background music includes patriotic Gandhian tunes such as ‘vaishnava janato’, ‘raghupati raaghava raajaram’, ‘saare jahan se accha’ and ‘sabarmati ke sant’. Accompanied with appropriate lighting, the motif of the three monkeys, and representation of personal belongings of Gandhiji, the show promises to be an enchanting one.
Shadow puppetry is known as ‘togalu gombeyata’ in Kannada. Here, colourful figures are first marked on leather sheets made transparent in an age-old traditional technique with the use of natural colours derived from plants or stones. The leather sheets are then cut and mounted on bamboo sticks for support.
The puppeteer sits behind the curtain and manipulates the figures in such a way that a light mounted on the other side casts the shadow of the figures on the curtain and the puppets appear on the screen. The art can be traced back to thousands of years ago, and has remained a legacy in South Indian states.
The method of obtaining the transparent leather sheets from the hide of deer or goats is a secret known only to the artistes who also craft the puppets. The figures are marked on the leather with pointed iron needles.
The edges of the figures, drawn in a style similar to the Lepakshi or Vijayanagara, are coloured black and thus highlighted. The inner parts are filled with various colours and beautiful designs are drawn to depict ornaments or weapons. Only very senior and experienced artistes have mastery over the art.
The stories in the puppet show are narrated in the form of songs to the accompaniment of music. The instruments are played mostly by the family members of the main artiste.
Renowned puppeteer Belegallu Veeranna will lead the team of artistes. Prof S A Krishnaiah, chief folklorist, MGM College, Udupi, will be the executive director of these shows while Amritha Lahari, Chennai, will be the co-ordinator. Dr Veerendra Hegde of Dharmastala has provided financial support to the troupe for undertaking this tour.
Mahalingamma, B V Mallikarjuna, B V Hanumantha, B K Mahesha, B V Prakash, Eriswamy, and K Ningappa, are the other members of the delegation.
Schedule:
- Saturday June 28: Inauguration and opening performance at 5-45 pm, 6.15 pm and 6.45 pm
- Sunday June 29: Performance at noon (A) and 5 pm (B)
- Tuesday July 1: Performance noon (A) and 3 pm. Evening performance SLSA (time not fixed)
- Wednesday July 2: Performance at noon (A) and 5 pm (B)
- Thursday July 3: Performance at noon (A) and 5 pm (B)
- Friday July 4: Performance at noon (A) and 5 pm (B). Also 6-45 pm performance at school
- Saturday July 5: A 10 am family workshop with Barbara, performance at 1 pm (A) and 3 pm (B)
- Sunday July 6: Performance at noon (Gandhi story) and 3 pm (G)