Coimbatore to witness traditional string puppetry on September 14

COIMBATORE: Epics live mainly through oral storytelling and performances. They gain finer insights and are improvised through their journeys. In one such version of folk Mahabharata, the Pandavas, during their exile in the wilderness, go to the city in search of paddy seeds to cultivate in their forest dwelling.
But if they are spotted by their cousins, the Kauravas, they have to repeat their exile. So, they masquerade as fortune-tellers and visit the palace to source paddy seeds. Did they succeed in it?
To know the answer, head to the string puppetry event to be held at 3pm on Saturday, September 14, at Hindusthan Arts and Science College in the city. The string puppetry play ‘Paanchaala Kuravanji’ would be organized by Kalari Heritage and Charitable Trust, which has been working to promote folk art forms such as shadow puppetry, string puppetry and koothu.
M Harikrishnan, the founder and organizer of the forum, says, in its very form, the string puppetry practised in western districts is distinct.
“The music used in string puppetry here is unique,” he says. These art forms primarily narrate stories and sub-plots from Mahabharata and Ramayana and improvise on them, he says.
However, the region’s traditional string puppetry is endangered today. While around 15 years ago, more than 30 performing groups of traditional string puppeteers were active in and around Salem, today there are only around seven of them, says Harikrishnan. Kalari Trust has been working with a motive to preserve these art forms, document it and take it to the younger generation. Three years before, they had organized a shadow puppetry performance at a school in the city. Now they have come back with a string puppetry event.
The event would be performed by the veteran koothu artiste and puppeteer Ammapettai Ganesan and his troupe. “He is an all-rounder in folk art forms. He has been performing for more than 50 years and is one of the finest artistes around,” says Harikrishnan. Kalari Trust would also organize such events in Trichy and Puducherry, he said and added that he hopes such events would open avenues for the public to support folk artistes.