In a country that sees divinity in inanimate objects, dolls have a special importance. All over India, there are many art forms that are classified as puppet shows.  Kathputuli, Gombeyaata, Bommalattam and many more are various art forms from across India that mean “ Dance of dolls”.

 

Dancing dolls many not sound galvanizing. Perhaps it is due to the image that pops up in one’s mind – small stick figures with restricted movements. BUT what if you were told that there are dolls as nearly five feet in height and have near- human mobility?

I present to you Bommalattam from Tamil Nadu: The dance of dolls. Like most Indian folk art forms, Bommalattam is a tradition of some families. The creation of a new doll is celebrated like the birth of a baby, as it should. The time, energy and resources that goes into the making of these dolls is phenomenal. The people who stick the cloth onto the wooden frame and tie the strings have remarkable devotion towards what they do as a result of which, what they do is is exceptional.

 

The dolls are controlled through strings or sticks depending on what is deemed suitable. The person controlling the puppets is called Sutradhara, a Sanskrit word that literally translates to “bearer of strings”. Acting as the Sutradhara in a Bommalattam performance is considered a great honour because contemporary philosophy likens humans to dolls and the Sutradhara to God.

 

A Bommalattam performance usually narrates a mythological story with an element of humor. The humorous element is an important aspect in the puppet show as it is not conventional to have sad dolls. The commentary for the show is provided by the Sutradhara and this delivery is usually in elevated or dramatized language. The art of ventriloquism is thus native to India.

 

“Puppet shows” are of various types and quite popular on the international scale. But the dance of dolls is an art form that the world does not truly see…