By Rajiv Theodore
New Delhi, Dec 14, 2019: If success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts then. Ramachandra Pulavar did just that.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi winner had been over the past four decades relentless in his pursuit to revive an ancient temple art form the ‘’Tholpavakoothu,’’ or the shadow puppetry. He not only brought it out of Kerala’s temples where it was struggling to survive due to lack of royal patronage but also infused an element of dynamism and vibrancy for that today this ancient art form has found wide appreciation in nearly 50 countries across the globe.
The art form was part of a temple ritual that replayed to the audiences right through the night till the break of dawn based on selected stories from the Tamil epic Kamba Ramayana. ‘’
The original Tholpavakoothu performance lasted for 10 hours, from dusk till dawn and performed for 21 days at the temple festival in Koonathara, Shornur, ‘’ explains Ramachandra in an interview to Matters India. But being a modest man, Ramachandra is quick to point out that the current surge in the interest to this age old art form would not have been possible without support from his family. In fact, he and his family all specialize in this shadow puppet theatre.
The art form was originally meant for temple rituals and conveyed stories selected from the Tamil epic Kamba Ramayana. According to folklore Lord Rama had vanquished Ravana about the same time that the goddess Bhadrakali defeated Darukasura. Since the goddess was unable to witness the legendary battle she expressed this desire to see it once again to Lord Shiva who then commanded her to visit a temple, where she first witnessed Tholpavakoothu. Taking the form of Kamban, a scholar, it is believed that he wrote songs for her, recounting the fight. It is these songs that are used in the traditional form of Tholpavakoothu, performed in temples during the festival season.
So, the story of Ramayana has been composed for Tholpavakooth, says Ramachandra. Since the past 1500 years or so the art has been performed using leather puppets as a ritual dedicated to Goddess Bhadrakali in Devi temples in specially built theatres called koothumadams. This art form is especially popular in Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram districts of Kerala. Thol means leather, pava is doll and koothu is the play. The lead puppeteer is called the Pulavar. As per the norm, leather puppets are manipulated using light from lamps lit in coconut shells. The shadows of these puppets fall against the screen, creating beautiful images, set to music in Tamil, Sanskrit, and Malayalam. Earlier, a show could go on nonstop for more than 70 hours!
Today, the Pulavar family is credited with pushing the boundaries of the arts existence with tales of Ramayana, from the temples to those in the Bible, adapting them in various languages including Malayalam and Hindi and even establishing a connect with the foreign audience. Transforming and adapting such ancient techniques into the contemporary has been the hall mark of the Pulavar family. They have managed successfully to enthral audiences by including stories depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s freedom struggle, the legend of Mahabali, the life of Jesus Christ social awareness messages including road safety and women empowerment.
The troupe at Koonathara (Temple at Shornur) was founded generations back and revived by the renowned and award winning Tholpavakoothu artist late Guru Krishnan Kutty Pulavar, father of Ramachandra. The name Pulavar is a title is bestowed on those who have undergone and intensive training in puppetry and puppet making which includes mastery over Tamil literature and especially the Kamba Ramayana. The name is thus used as a prefix, explains 30-year old Rajeev Pulavar who is the son of Ramachandra and the 14th generation of the artists in continuity.
The puppets for each show are hand made with goatskin and adorned with naturally extracted colours. It usually takes a month to make a puppet. For stories of Ramayana, he says, there are more than 200 characters and each of them would have at least four different positions. “This means you have to put in more time and work to complete them,” explains Ramachandra, whose Pulavar family is the last to carry on the tradition of shadow puppetry. He recalled those days when royal patronage reduced and the shadow puppetry found itself on the brink of extinction.
The temple administrations had fallen into bad times and the shows had to reduce. Exponents of shadow puppetry were dwindling in numbers and the uncertain times went on till the early 80s. Pushing aside, stigmas, It was at that juncture that Krishnankutty took on the task of making of the puppets himself, (as it was traditionally done by specific communities).
It became a defining moment for the shadow puppetry and soon it became a family profession of the Pulavars. Talking about his father Rajeev said that he began repairing them and in the process learned the intricacies of its workman ship and gradually made new ones. Today, the family members are adept at puppet making and women too have come to the forefront also in finding slots in the performance like Ramachandra’s wife Rajalakshmi and daughter Rajitha. Sons, Rajeev K and Rahul K, are vital members of the Kavalappara troupe.
Ramachandran’s legendary father Krishnankutty Pulavar had started to make puppets on his own. That was a marked departure from convention, as the paraphernalia for the art were hitherto made by (underprivileged) communities that were into leather work. “It happened so happened that my father noticed that quite a few puppets were slipping into a bad condition owing to poor maintenance. He didn’t find it good to perform with worn-out figures.
All the same, we didn’t have enough money to get new ones,” notes Ramachandra Pulavar. “So, my father began repairing them. In the process, he learned more about puppet-making and garnered the confidence to cut new ones. Today, puppet-making is part of our family profession.”
The younger members of the household today are of good help to the team leader. Ramachandra Pulavars sons, Rajeev K and Rahul K, are key members of the troupe. By the turn of the present century, women too have begun finding slots in the performance as well as backstage activities. Ramachandra’s wife Rajalakshmi and their only daughter Rajitha are solid examples.
Sangeeth Natak Akademi, Yuva Puraskar awardee Rajeev, speaking to Matters India says that the diversification of the art does not mean it has distanced itself from its conventional platforms and the art form continues to have its moorings in Hindu temples. It is from December-end, the koothumadam, get lit up with 21 oil lamps in rows against a white curtain where shadows of the mythological figures leap about lending a magical twist to the tales of a hoary past accompaniment of mesmerizing vocals and percussion.
“Traditional Tholpavakoothu performances are held in around 85 temples of Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram.. Our (Kavalappara) troupe stages half of them,” Rajeev says. In Tholpavakoothu, performers do not get to see their audience. “We function along the narrow space between the lamps and the screen. The size of the crowd, if at all, least matters to us at temples. The performance is our offering to (goddess) Bhagavati,” adds Rajeev.
‘’As the first man danced, his shadow danced along with him that this was the precursor for shadow puppetry… and so are for the drama and the movies…’’.the senior Pulavar believes.