Ranjani Prasad - Puppetry in Delhi

INTRODUCTION

Puppetry can be broadly classified into two styles: contemporary and traditional. While every state has its own unique traditional form of puppetry with its cultural context, Delhi can be considered a hub for contemporary puppeteers. My project is based on my research about the contemporary puppetry artists around the city who pick up diverse themes and are influenced by other forms/styles of puppetry from within and outside the country.

Everyone I have interviewed has been associated with a different aspect of modern puppetry. Dadi Pudumjee, with his group Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust, has been working with contemporary puppetry for the longest time in comparision to others. Ranjana Pandey, also a senior puppeteer, has used puppets for art therapy for disabled children. Sampa Ghosh had been a puppeteer a few years back, is into teacher training now and writes extensively on puppetry. Shubha Saxena handles the Department of Puppetry at Sangeet Natak Akademi, one of the biggest patrons of puppetry. Anurupa Roy is one of the most dynamic puppeteers and her group Katkatha boasts of a huge body of work. Varun Narain does extremely interesting and different work with puppets, exploring gender and sexuality. IP Singh has a lot of experience with making and using puppets for Television. The only exception was Katputhli colony in Shadipur Depot which has traditional Rajasthani katputhliwalas. However, Puran Bhatt has experimented with contemporary puppets and tried incorporating it into his traditional form of puppet, making a unique innovation in his craft.

List of libraries, museums, etc have been compiled because all scholars, puppeteers, researchers, journalists, critics, etc related to puppetry might want to know where to access resources from.

Contemporary forms of puppetry in India are mostly inspired by Asian styles like Japanese Bunraku, etc and European techniques. Contemporary puppets in India have been used for art therapy work, social awareness, teacher training, children’s workshops and for sheer entertainment.

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