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INDIAN MUSIC

Introduction Music in Indian subcontinent is the refl ection of the diverse elements — racial, linguistic and cultural. It plays a vital role in the religious, social and artistic life of the heterogeneous population of the country.

The oldest music, which possessed a grammar was the vedic. Of course, the Rig-Veda is said to be the oldest: nearly 5000 years old. The psalms of the Rig-Veda were called the richas. The Yajur Veda was also a religious chant. Natya Shastra of Bharata is another important landmark in the history of Indian music. It is supposed to have been written sometime between the 2nd century B.C. and the 2nd century A.D. Some scholars are even doubtful whether it is the work of one author and the work might well have been a compendium - at least, the version which is available to us. The Natya Shastra is a comprehensive work mainly dealing with dramaturgy. But a few chapters of this deal with music. Therein information on scales, melodic forms, tala and musical instruments are present. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as sources of spiritual inspiration, cultural expression and pure entertainment.

Today there are two systems of classical music: the Hindustani and the Carnatic. Carnatic music is confi ned to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The classical music of the rest of the country goes under the name, Hindustani Classical Music. Of course, there are some areas in Karnataka and Andhra where the Hindustani Classical system is also practiced. Karnataka has given us in the recent past some very distinguished musicians of the Hindustani style.

Hindustani Music

Hindustani Sangeet is usually considered to be a mixture of traditional Hindu musical concepts and Persian performance practice. Hindustani music is based on the raga system.

Formal compositions (songs or instrumental compositions in a fi xed meter) are juxtaposed with the improvised portion. Khyal and Dhrupad are two major types of compositions within the Hindustani genre.

There are many musical instruments that are associated with Hindustani sangeet. The most famous are the tabla and sitar. Other less well known instruments are the sarangi, santur, and the sarod.

North Indian Music off ers a variety of forms of music like the Dhrupad, Khayal (classical North Indian music), Thumri (emotional music), Qawwali (songs from the Pakistani sufi ’s), and Ghazal (Panjabi romantic music).

Gharanas of Hindustani Music

In Hindustani music, a gharana is a system of social organization linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and by adherence to a particular musical style. A gharana also indicates a comprehensive musicological ideology. This ideology sometimes changes substantially from one gharana to another.

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Types of Hindustani Music and its meaning

Dhrupad Effort from vocal chords and lungs

Dhamar Play of Krishna during Holi

Khayal Delicate, romantic and based on imagination.

Thumri Romantic religious literature

Tappa Quick turn of phase

Bhajan Religious devotional songs

Tarana Syllables stung together to set a rhythm

Sabadas Sikh religious songs

Qawali Indo- Muslim repertories of songs in groups.

Ghazal Independent couplets on love and devotion

Carnatic MusicCarnatic sangeet (karnatik sangit), is the South Indian system of classical music. It has a rich history and a very sophisticated system of theory.

Carnatic Sangeet is found in the South Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

Purandardas is considered as the father of Carnatic Music

Carnatic music acquired its present form in the 18th century under the “trinity” of Carnatic music, Thyagaraja, Shamashastri, and Muthuswami Dikshitar composed their famous songs.

It is also based upon a system of ragam (rag) and thalam (tal).

There are a number of musical instruments used in South Indian classical music. The most common ones are the veena (vina), violin, mridangam, nadaswaram, and the tavil.

The dominant element of Karnatic music is the ‘Kriti’; a form of composition with three parts.

Similarities & Diff erences between ‘Hindustani’ & ‘Carnatic’ Music

Both the styles are monophonic, follow a melodic line and employ a drone (tanpura) with the help of one or two notes against the melody. Both the styles use defi nite scales to defi ne a raga but the Carnatic Style employs Shrutis or semi-tones to create a Raga and thus have many more Ragas than the Hindustani style. Carnatic ragas diff er from Hindustani ragas. The names of ragas are also diff erent. However, there are some ragas which have the same scale as Hindustani ragas but have diff erent names; such as Hindolam and Malkauns, Shankarabharanam and Bilawal. There is a third category of ragas like Hamsadhwani,

Charukeshi, Kalavati etc. which are essentially Carnatic Ragas. They share the same name, the same scale (same set of notes) but can be rendered in the two distinctively diff erent Carnatic and Hindustani styles. Unlike Hindustani music, Carnatic music does not adhere to Time or Samay concepts and instead of Thaats, Carnatic music follows the Melakarta concept

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String InstrumentsThe string instruments produce sound from vibrating strings. In most string instruments, the vibrations are transmitted to the body of the instrument, which also vibrates, along with the air inside it. The string instruments vary in size, shape and number of playing strings used. All these string instruments were classifi ed as:

By friction with a bow like the violin, sarangi, dilruba, esraj, etc. (Ravanastram is one of the earliest known bowed instrument)

By plucking the string like the veena, rudra veena, gotuvadyam, sitar, sarod, guitar, mandolin, harp, (tambura, ektar -drone instruments) etc.

By striking with a hammer or a pair of sticks like gettuvadyam, swaramandala

Wind InstrumentsA wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube), in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. The pitch of the vibration is determined by the length of the tube and by manual modifi cations of the eff ective length of the vibrating column of air.

This section comprises hollow instruments where wind is the producer of sound. These can be further classifi ed by mode of playing:

Those where wind is supplied by some mechanical means, commonly bellows - e.g. organ, harmonium

Those where the wind is supplied by the breath of the performer, which can be further classifi ed as mouth blown & nose blown.

Percussion Instruments (Avanaddya Vadya)

Avanaddya means “to be covered”, therefore, an instrument wherein a vessel or a frame is covered with leather is an Avanaddha Vadya. They are of drum species. These instruments are used for keeping rhythm and also time, that covers in a performance of music and dance of any country. It is believed that all varieties of drums are originated from the sound evolved from damru played by Siva. Siva is also considered to be the originator of the species of drum.

According to the making and playing technique, the percussion instruments are divided such as:

Played with stroke of fi ngers such as Khanjira, Duff , Dimdi

Played with stroke of a stick such as Dhol, Sambal, Nagada

Played with the palms of both the hands, such as Pakhawaj, Mridangam,

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT


Played with a thread attached at the middle portion with holding at centre point, such as Damroo.

Played with palms as well as fi ngers, such as Tabla, Dholki, Dholak.

Solid Instruments (Ghana Vadyas)

The instruments of this group are usually played with a striker or hammer. Ghana Vadyas are not capable of producing defi nite pitches that are required for creating a melody. That is why there use is limited in classical music.

These instruments are further classifi ed in 3 groups. They are as follows:

Played with contact, such as Chipli, Taal

Played with a stick or hammer, such as JalTarang, Kaashtha Tarang, Ghanta

Played with rotation or free movement, such as Ghunghroo, Ghantika, Rattle, Kabas, etc.

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IntroductionIn India, the art of dancing may be traced back to the Harappan culture. The discovery of the bronze statue of a dancing girl testifi es to the fact that some women in Harappa performed dances.In traditional Indian culture the function of dance was to give symbolic expression to religious ideas. The fi gure of Lord Shiva as Nataraja represents the creation and destruction of the cosmic cycle.Indian classical dance denotes codifi ed art forms rooted in Natya, the sacred Hindu musical theatre styles. The term “classical” (“Shastriya”) was introduced by Sangeet Natak Akademi to denote the Natya Shastra- based performing art styles.A very important feature of Indian classical dances is the use of the mudra or hand gestures by the artists as a short-hand sign language to narrate a story and to demonstrate certain concepts such as objects, weather, nature and emotion.Many classical dances include facial expressions as an integral part of the dance form.

Bharata NatyamBharata Natyam is the classical dance from Tamil Nadu. It traces its origins back to the Natyashastra, an ancient treatise on theatre written by the mythic priest Bharata.The Abhinaya Darpana by Nandikesvara is one of the main sources of textual material, for the study of the technique and grammar of body movement in Bharatnatyam Dance.It was practised by Devadasis, who performed music and dance as an off ering to the deities, in the temple courtyard.The dance movements are characterized by bent legs, while feet keep rhythm. Hands may be used in a series of mudras, or symbolic hand gestures, to tell a story. Instruments use in Bharatnatyam are Mridangam, Violin, Veena, Flute and Talam (Nattuvangam/ cymbals.

KathakKathak is said to be derived from the word katha, meaning “the art of storytelling.” It is performed by both men and women. The movements include intricate footwork accented by bells worn around the ankles and stylized gestures adapted from normal body language.The advent of Islamic rule in the 13th century greatly infl uenced the Indian culture, having a direct impact on Kathak. During this period, Kathak was introduced as a form of entertainment in the courts of rajas and nawabs and it began to develop its own distinct and individualistic style.

CLASSICAL FORMS OF DANCE


Lucknow, Banaras and Jaipur are recognized as the three schools, or gharanas, where this art was born and where the aspects were refi ned to a high standard.

Instruments use in Kathak are Pakwaj, Tabla, Harmonium, Sarengi and Talam (cymbals).

KathakaliKathakali is the classical dance form of Kerala. The word Kathakali literally means “Story-Play”.

Kathakali is known for its heavy, elaborate makeup and costumes.

The dancers wear large headgears, and the diff erent colours of the face are extended with moulded lime. The extraordinary costumes and make-up transform the audience to a world of wonders.

Kathakali dance presents themes derived from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and other Hindu epics, mythologies and legends.

Kathakali was traditionally performed by boys and men, even for female roles.

Instruments use in Kathakali are Chenda, Maddalam, Cymbals and Ela taalam.

OdissiOdissi is one of the famous classical Indian dances from Orissa state.

Odissi is a highly inspired, passionate, ecstatic and sensuous form of dance.

Like most of the South Indian classical dances of India Odissi too had its origin in the Devadasi tradition.

It is predominantly a dance for women, with postures that replicate those found in temple sculptures.

Like other Indian classical dance forms, Odissi has two major facets: Nritta or non-representational dance, in which ornamental patterns are created using body movements in space and time; and Abhinaya, or facial expressions are used to interpret a story or theme.

The technique of Odissi includes repeated use of the tribhangi, (thrice defl ected posture) in which the body is bent in three places, the shape of a helix. This posture and the characteristic shifting of the torso from side to side, make Odissi a diffi cult style to execute.

Instruments used in Odissi are Pakwaj, table, harmonium, fl ute and cymbals.

KuchipudiKuchipudi is one of the classical dance forms of the South India.

Kuchipudi derives its name from the Kuchipudi village of Andhra Pradesh.

Kuchipudi exhibits scenes from the Hindu Epics, legends and mythological tales through a combination of music, dance and acting.

Traditionally the dance was performed by men, even the female roles, although now it is predominantly performed by women.

Taranagam is the main unique piece of Kuchpudi repertoire, also known as plate (made by brass) dance. In that the dancer must dance upon a brass plate, placing the feet upon the raised edges.

Instruments used in Kuchipudi are Mridangam, Violin, Veena, Flute and Talam (Nattuvangam/ cymbals)

MohiniyattamThe dance form of Mohiniyattam was nurtured in the region of Kerala in southwestern India.

The name Mohiniyattam literally means ‘Dance of the Enchantress,’ and it does have a mesmerizing quality.

The white and gold costume, the hairstyle and the highly graceful movements in medium tempo bring out the aesthetic eff ect.


Mohiniyattam is characterized by swaying movements of the upper body with legs placed in a stance similar to the plie position. The eyes play an important role in the direction of the movement.

Mohiniyattam is found in some eighteenth century texts, but the practical style was revived in the time of Maharaja Swati Tirunal, a 19th century ruler who was a great patron of the arts. Under Swati Tirunal, Mohiniyattam established as a solo dance tradition with musical compositions set to the Carnatic style of music and a distinct repertoire. Later, in the twentieth century, the great poet Vallathol established the Kerala Kalamandalam to promote the arts of Mohiniyattam and Kathakali.

Apart from mythology, Mohiniyattam perform on the themes from nature. Mohiniyattam was female orientated art form only female were suppose to perform but at present male also practicing and performing too. Instruments used in Mohiniyattam are Chenda, Maddalam, Cymbals and Ela taalam.

ManipuriManipuri dance is indigenous to Manipur, the North eastern state of India.

The Manipuri dance style is inextricably woven into the life pattern of Manipuri people.

The most striking part of Manipur dance is its colorful decoration, lightness of dancing foot, delicacy of abhinaya (drama), music and poetic charm.

The Manipuri dance form is mostly ritualistic and draws heavily from the rich culture of the state of Manipur.

Manipuri is characterized by smooth and graceful movements.

Female roles are especially fl uid in the arms and hands, while male roles tend to have more forceful movements.

The dance may be accompanied by narrative chanting and choral singing. Among the important feature of the Manipuri repertoire are the Sankirtana and the Raas Leela, based on the devotional theme of Krishna and Radha.

Another vibrant feature of Manipuri is the Pung Cholam or Drum dance, in which dancers play on the drum known as Pung while dancing with thrilling leaps and turns to a fast rhythm.

The Lai Haroba, a ritualistic dance depicting the Creation, is considered the precursor of Manipuri as seen today. Instruments used in Manipuri are Pung and cymbals.

SattriyaSattriya is a classical dance form from Assam.

Sattriya Nritya was usually performed in the Sattras (Assam monasteries) in a highly ritualistic manner by male dancers alone. But in the second half of the 19th Century Sattriya Nritya moved from the monastery to the metropolitan stage.

The core of Sattriya Nritya has usually been mythological stories.

Dressed in white costumes and turbans, head gears, they include khol playing, performing dance, creating soundscapes, fl oor patterns and choreographic designs.

The music is provided by khol-drum, patital, boratal-cymbals along with songs.

Both solo and group numbers enrich its presentation.

The dresses are usually made of pat, a type of silk produced in Assam, woven with intricate local motifs.

The ornaments, too, are based on traditional Assamese designs. Instruments used in Sattriya dance are Violin, cymbals and Khol (Drum).

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Folk Dances of North IndiaDumhal

Dumhal is a dance performed in Jammu and Kashmir by the Rauf tribe. Only the men folk of the Rauf are privileged to perform this dance on specifi c occasions and at set locations.

It is performed by dancers wearing long colorful robes and tall conical caps, studded with beads and shells.

While dancing, the performers sing too, with drums to assist their lyrics.

The party of performers moves in a ritual manner and digs a banner into the ground, at a set location. The dance begins with the men dancing around this banner.

HikatIt is a dance form of Himachal Pradesh.

Hikat is performed by women and comes across as a modifi cation of a game played by children.

Forming pairs, the participants extend their arms to the front, gripping each other’s wrists. With their body inclined back, they go round and round at the same spot.

NamagenIt is a dance form of Himachal Pradesh.

It mainly celebrates the autumnal hue, in the month of September.

The most prominent dance amongst these is the Gaddis. In this dance the costumes are largely woolen.

ChholiyaA famous dance of Kumaon region, Chholiya is mainly performed during marriages.

As the groom’s procession proceeds to the bride’s house, male dancers, armed with swords and shields, dance spiritedly.

BhangraBhangra is one of the most popular and energetic dances of India.

FOLK DANCE FORMS


Bhangra is performed by men folks during Baisakhi.

It is among the most energetic and captivating dances of India and includes tricks and athletic feats.

During the Bhangra performance the drummer is surrounded by men dressed in lungis and turbans.

Luddi

Luddi is folk dance of the Punjab, performed by men folk.

Luddi is performed to celebrate victory. In the Luddi dance they try to copy the movement of a snake’s head.

Folk Dances of Central IndiaGaur Dance

Gaur dance is a popular folk dance of Madhya Pradesh dances.

Gaur dance is popular in the Sing Marias or Tallaguda Marias of South Bastar.

Men put head-dresses with stringed ‘cowries’ and plumes of peacock feathers and make their way to the dancing ground.

Women ornamented with brass fi llets and bead necklaces with their tattooed bodies also join the gathering.

The men beat the drums, tossing the horns and feathers of their head-gears to the rising tempo that gives the dance a wilder touch.

Muria DancesThe Muria tribals of North Bastar area are trained in all types of their community dances.

At the start of dance sequences they begin with an invocation to the phallic deity of their tribe and the founder of the Ghotul institution. The site chosen for the dance is near the Ghotul compound.

During marriages, the Muria boys and girls perform Har Endanna dance.

Their Hulki dance is the most beautiful of all the dances while the Karsana dance is performed for fun and enjoyment.

In the Hulki dance, boys move in a circular fashion while the girls make their way through them.

Saila Dance

Saila dance is performed by the young boys of Chattisgarh during the post harvest time.

Saila is a stick-dance and is popular among the people of Sarguja, Chhindwara and Betul districts.

In this region the Saila dance is also known as Danda Nach or Dandar Pate.

Karma Dance

The Karma dance is very popular among the Gonds and the Baigas of Chhattisgarh and the Oraons of Madhya Pradesh.

The Karma dance is associated with the fertility cult and is related to the Karma festival that falls in the month of August.

The Karma dance symbolizes coming of green branches in tress during the spring season.

There are other variants of the Karma. The songs associated with these variants diff er with each pattern.


Folk Dances of South IndiaPadayani or Paddeni

It is one of the most colorful and enchanting dances of Kerala.

Padayani or Paddeni is associated with the festivals of certain temples. These temples are found in the districts of Alleppey, Quilon, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts.

The performers in Paddeni consist of dancers or actors, singers (who recite diff erent poems for diff erent Kolams) and instrumentalists (who play wild and loud rhythms on their drums called thappu and cymbals).

Padayani dancers wear Kolams of diff erent shapes, colors and designs, painted on the stalks of areca nut fronds.

Kolams are basically huge headgears, with many projections and devices, having a mask for the face and a piece to cover the chest and abdomen of the performer.

Kummi and KolattamKummi and Kolattam are the dances performed by the tribal women of Tamil Nadu, during certain festivals. Kummi is a very simple form of dance, where dancers form circles and clap as they dance.

Kolattam is also quite similar, the only diff erence being the use of small wooden rods by the dancers.

The dancers strike the rods in rhythm by, instead of clapping, and provide the main tempo of the dance.

Kargam and Puli VeshamIt is dedicated to Mariamma, the Goddess of Health and Rain, in the state of Tamil Nadu is the Kargam dance.

It is performed by men, wherein they balance pots, fi lled with uncooked rice and surrounded by a tall conical bamboo frame covered with fl owers, on their head.

Drums and long pipes form the musical instruments that accompany the dance.

Puli Vesham is another very interesting dance of Tamil Nadu, which is performed by men during a specifi c festival. In this dance form, the men disguise themselves in tiger costumes and move around the streets.

Folk Dances of North Eastern IndiaNaga Dances

The dances of the Nagas portray a sense of fun and zest in their life.

Harvesting season is main celebration time for all the Naga tribes, which they rejoice through the performance of various dances.

The characteristic feature of all Naga dancing is the use of an erect posture, with many movements of the legs and comparatively little use of the torso and shoulders.

BihuThe folk dance of Assam is called ‘Bihu’.

The festival comes in mid-April, during the harvesting time (which lasts for a month).

HajgiriHajgiri is the folk dance of Tripura, the land of a large tribal population.


The dance is performed by young girls, who demonstrate a series of balancing skills, and uses instruments of its kind.

The dances are a part of the ceremony to appease the goddess Lakshmi, to ensure a happy harvest, as cultivation forms a main source of the tribe’s livelihood.

Men and women use the compound of their own houses as dancing grounds for the same.

Thang-ta & Dhol-CholomThe Thang-ta dance of Manipur was an evolution from the martial arts exercises encouraged by the kings of Manipur.

The dance is performed by young men holding swords and shields. One of the instruments that dominate Manipuri dances is the drum.

Dhol Cholom, a drum dance, is one of the dances performed during Holi.

Folk Dances of North West India Dandiya

Dandiya is the folk dance of Gujarat, which shows the great vigor and joy of the in habitants of the North West State of India.

Dressed in colorful costumes, the people of the desert play dandiya gracefully, by holding big sticks in their hands (used as the prop for the dance).

The dances are accompanied by the musical instrument called the ‘Meddale’, which is played by the drummer positioned in the centre.

Apart from being a traditional dance form of the state, Dandiya features in the ‘navratras’, a nine-day festival that is observed with pomp and gaiety across many parts of the country.

Tera TaliNative to the ‘Kamar’ tribe of North West India (Rajasthan), Tera Tali is performed by two or three women.

The performers sit on the ground while performing the Tera Tali, which is an elaborate ritual, followed in the region.

Small metal cymbals called ‘Manjiras’ are tied to diff erent parts of the body, mostly on the legs, of the dance performer.

Garba DanceGarba Dance is a popular folk Dance of Gujarat.

It is a circular form of dance performed by ladies on the Navaratri days, Sharad Purnima, Vasant Panchami, Holi and such other festive occasions.

The basics of the dance are singing and clapping rhythmically while going round the goddess.

Ghoomar DanceIt is a community dance of the Rajputs, performed by the women of the house and traditionally out of bounds for men, it uses simple swaying movements to convey the spirit of any asuspicios occasion.

There is however, and amazing grace as the skirts fl are slowly while the women twirl in circles, their faces covered by veil. Traditionally, all women perform this dances.


Kalbelia danceOne of the most sensuous dance forms of Rajasthan, performed by the kalbelia “snake - charmers” community.

The kalbelia dancers wear long black skirts embroidered with silver ribbons. As they spin in circle, their body sways acrobatically, sway sinuously to the accompainiment of pungi, dufl i and plaintive notes of the “been” - the wooden instrument of the snake charmers.

The vigorous and zestful display of their perfect movements to the enchanting tune of musical instruments is a treat to the eyes.

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Introduction Bharata’s Natya Shastra was the earliest and most elaborate treatise on drama written anywhere in the world.

Traditionally the theatre consisted of the auditorium, stage and the backstage which is behind the stage. Curtain separates the stage and backstage. The drama was performed without scenery and decorations. It was more of acting and gestures by the actors. Costume and make-up was regulated by convention so that roles were immediately recognizable. Most type of drama had a hero , a heroine, a villain and a “vidushaka” as a comedian. Themes were mainly based on love.

Folk Theatres

Bhand Pather(Jashin) - Kashmir

It is a unique combination of dance, music and acting.

Satire, wit and parody are preferred for inducing laughter.

Music is provided with surnai, nagaara and dhol.

Since the actors are mainly from the farming community, the impact of their way of living, ideals and sensitivity is noticeable.

Swang - Haryana

It is mainly music-based.

Softness of emotions, accomplishment of rasa along with the development of character can be seen.

Two important styles are from Rohtak and Haathras.

In the style belonging to Rohtak, the language used is Haryanvi (Bangru) and in Haathras, it is Brajbhasha.

Nautanki - Uttar Pradesh

Most popular centres - Kanpur, Lucknow and Haathras.

The meters used in the verses are: Doha, Chaubola, Chhappai, Behar-e-tabeel.

Nowadays, women have also started taking part

DRAMA/THEATRE


Jatra - BengalFairs in honour of gods, or religious rituals and ceremonies have within their framework musical plays are known as Jatra. Krishna Jatra became popular due to Chaitanya prabhu’s infl uence.

Earlier form of Jatra has been musical & dialogues were added at later stage.

The actors themselves describe the change of scene, the place of action, etc.

Bhaona (Ankia Naat) - Assam.Cultural glimpses of Assam, Bengal Orissa, Mathura and Brindavan can be seen in it.

The Sutradhaar, or narrator begins the story, fi rst in Sanskrit and then in either Brajboli or Assamese.

Maach - Madhya PradeshMaach is used for the stage itself as also for the play.

Songs are given prominence in between the dialogues.

The term for dialogue in this form is bol and rhyme in narration is termed vanag.

The tunes of this theatre form are known as rangat.

Koodiyaattam - KeralaIt is based on Sanskrit theatre traditions.

Characters of this theatre form are Chakyaar or actor, Naambiyaar, the instrumentalists and Naangyaar, those taking on women’s roles.

The Sutradhar or narrator and the Vidushak or jesters are the protagonists.

Vidushak alone delivers the dialogues.

Emphasis on hand gestures and eye movements makes this dance and theatre form unique.

Yakshagaana - KarnatakaIt is based on mythological stories and Puranas.

The most popular episodes are from the Mahabharata i.e. Draupadi swayamvar, Subhadra vivah, Abhimanyu vadh, Karna-Arjun yuddh and from Ramayana i.e. Raajyaabhishek, Lav-kush Yuddh, Baali-Sugreeva yuddha and Panchavati.

Therukoothu - Tamil NaduIt literally means “street play”.

It is mostly performed at the time of annual temple festivals of Mariamman (Rain goddess) to achieve rich harvest.

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IntroductionPuppetry throughout the ages has held an important place in traditional entertainment. Puppetry has been successfully used to motivate emotionally and physically handicapped students to develop their mental and physical faculties.

The puppets are believed to be around since the time of Harappa and Mohenjodaro civilisation dating back to 2300 BC. Several dolls with strings are found in some of the harappan cities.

The Mahabharata also refers to popular entertainment in India including art of puppetry and shadow theatre. There is reference in Gita where the three qualities found in men (Satta, Rajah and Tamah) are said to be the three strings pulled by the Divine to lead man in life.

Silappadikaaram is earliest reference to the art of puppetry is found in Sangam literature.

String PuppetsIt has jointed body and limbs that allow movement. Puppets are made of wood, or wire, or cloth stuff ed with cotton, rags or saw dust.

The puppet is suspended from a hand held control strings that are attached to diff erent parts of the puppet’s body.

The puppet is manipulated by operating the control as well as by loosening or pulling the relevant string(s).

For the convenience of manipulation and support, two rods are attached to the hands of the puppets.

ExamplesKathputli (Rajasthan)

Kundhei (Orissa)

Gombeyatta (Karnataka)

Bommalattam (Tamil Nadu)

Shadow PuppetsShadow puppets are fl at puppets that are operated against the rear of a tightly stretched white cloth screen.

They are cut out of leather, which has been treated to make it translucent.

Shadow puppets are pressed against the screen with a strong source of light behind it.

The manipulation between the light and the screen make silhouettes or colourful shadows for the viewers who sit in front of the screen.

PUPPET FORMS IN INDIA


The puppet shapes or cutouts are perforated and split bamboo or cane sticks are attached vertically to the puppet for handling and manipulation.

Examples

Togalu Gombeyatta (Karnataka)

Tholu Bommalata (Andhra Pradesh)

Ravanachhaya (Orissa)

Tolpavakoothu (Kerala)

Chamadyache Bahulya (Maharashtra)

Rod PuppetsThese puppets have mostly three joints. The heads, supported by the main rod, is joined at the neck and both hands attached to rods are joined at the shoulders.

The main holding rod that supports the puppet may be hidden by a robe or costume of the puppet.

The action rods are usually connected to the hands of the puppet and manipulated by the puppeteer to show action.

The body and hands have a bamboo base covered and plastered with hay and rice husk mixed and moulded into required shape.

Due to the absence of legs the puppets are draped in a sari or dhoti as per the character.

The puppet movements are highly dramatic.

Examples

Putul Nautch (West Bengal)

Yampuri (Bihar)

Kathi Kandhe (Orissa)

Glove PuppetsThe glove puppets are worn on hands just like a glove.

The middle fi nger and thumb act as hands of the puppet and the index fi nger acts as the head.

Head is made of either papier mache, cloth or wood, with two hands emerging from just below the neck.

Examples

Pava-kathakali (Kerala)

Kundhei nach (Orissa)

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DAY 29 PERFORMING ARTS.indd - uploads.10pointer.com

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