Though facing extinction, this form is still to be found in some villages of South 24 Parganas. They are manipulated with three rods, one for the body and two for the limbs. Rod puppets traditionally, have been the domain of the eastern states of West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand. Glove puppetry, the simplest form originated in East Medinipur and was also to be found in the districts of 24 Parganas and Murshidabad. Traditional puppetry exists in almost all the other districts of Bengal. While shadow puppetry does not exist in Bengal, there is a very unique and rare form practiced among some Santal communities of West Bengal and Jharkhand, the Chadar Badani. String puppetry, or Taarer Putul or Shutor Putul, it is believed, was a later import. The older traditions here are rod puppets, or Dang Putul and glove puppets, or Beni (Bene) Putul. Puppetry in West Bengal, which finds mention in the medieval folk ballads of undivided Bengal, is called Putul Naach, translating to Doll Dance. The presentation of most of these forms involves the creative collaboration of many people working together – for example, the author of the theme or song, the handler or actual puppeteer and the musicians – singers and instrumentalists. Music to this day, is customarily used live, thus effecting immediate rapport with the audience. Imbibing elements from painting, sculpture, dance, song, secular themes or folklore, the end result was a vibrant layered form, the individual mechanics notwithstanding, where puppets could talk, sing, dance, play, fight and fly. Traditional puppet plays have always been embedded in the cultural and religious ethos of the regions where they originated. ![]() The forms of puppetry prevalent in India are mainly rod, glove, string and shadow. The prime objective of this form of communication has been to entertain while catering to the religious sentiments and educational needs of the audience. Like traditional folk theatre, themes for puppet theatre are mostly based on epics and legends and were part of an oral tradition. ![]() The term Sutradhar commonly used in traditional theatre, referring to the narrator, literally means the holder of strings. The genesis of puppetry in India is in folk theatre. Mention of ivory and mechanized puppets in the Kamasutra too reflects the antiquity and popularity of puppet plays in India. Historical records of Andhra Pradesh indicate that this art was in vogue in the 4th century BC. ![]() References to a wooden puppet, manipulated by a string are found in Indian epic, the Mahabharat. The string manipulated puppet as a form of entertainment is a legacy of the Indus Valley Civilization. In India, puppetry is one of the most ancient forms of folk art and has long been one of the primary forms of traditional entertainment.
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