From Shadow Puppetry to Narrative Art
Adapting the traditional skill of leather puppet making to create new ways of storytelling
Dastkari Haat Samiti
Dastkari Haat Samiti
Project Akshara
The making of leather puppets went hand-in-hand with their use in a performance. The artisan, who was also the performer, was both the creator and the storyteller. In a changing scenario, the craftsman is constantly forging new paths for the art form. One such new direction is captured in the scroll format panel made, by the leather artisan Sindhe Sriramulu, for the project Akshara - Crafting Indian Scripts, 2012.
New products (2012)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Akshara was a project by Dastkari Haat Samiti, that used the medium of various craft traditions to explore and interpret the aesthetics of vernacular Indian scripts.
Leather scroll Leather scroll by Sindhe SreeramuluDastkari Haat Samiti
Sriramulu’s leather panel is a depiction of four important episodes from the life of Sita, from the ancient epic poem, the Ramayana.
Leather scrollDastkari Haat Samiti
The Ramayana is one of the major sources for the stories narrated through shadow puppetry. The panel drew on the iconography was employed in traditional shadow puppets.
The craft extends the imagery beyond the characters to include and evoke nature that might have formed the backdrop of these episodes.
The Telugu script was used in combination with the images to identify the characters and provide a brief commentary on the scene.
This panel ends with the visual representation of the episode of the death of Ravana - the antagonist in the Ramayana. Details of the episode are broken down and illustrated in a linear format.
Leather Puppet Making: From shadow puppetry to narrative art (2013) by Sindhe SriramuluDastkari Haat Samiti
This panel has been a part of the Akshara project exhibit. It has been displayed at various locations in India and abroad, casting a new light on the art of shadow puppetry and its creators.
The Akshara Project - Interview with SreemululuDastkari Haat Samiti
Leather artist Sindhe Sriramulu talks about the way he used Telugu script in his narrative piece to enhance the epic.
Leather Puppet Making: New products (2010/2017) by Sindhe SriramuluDastkari Haat Samiti
Decorative and functional products are made in styles similar to those used in the shadow puppets.
This panel, depicting a scene from the Ramayana, is an example of how leather puppetry has evolved into narrative storytelling.
Andhra Pradesh's Leather puppet making (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
See more of Andhra Pradesh's Leather Puppet tradition.
Leather Puppet Making: New products (2010/2017) by Sindhe SriramuluDastkari Haat Samiti
Read more about Leather Puppet Making:
- The Process
- The Influence of Lepakshi Temple
Text: Aloka Hiremath and Jaya Jaitly
Photographs courtesy: Dastkari Haat Samiti, Chirodeep Chaudhuri and Charu Verma
Artisans: Sindhe Sriramulu and family
Ground Facilitator: Shalini Shashi
Curation: Ruchira Verma
Cinematic Video:
- Director: Jyoti Neggi
- Production: Studio Gola
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