An Art of Narration Lost in Time: The Kathputli
Hello Friends,
Do you remember your childhood tales? Today I take a peek into a childhood memory closely tied to an art of narration. Well, it is a story of an art that has lost its charm in time. The tide of the digital world has hit folklore so hard that one of the dimensions of culture is domed.
A couple of weeks back I had visited one of the grand fortresses of Rajasthan, the Amer fort. The glory of Rajput past allude loud from every stone, one can visualize how royal Rajput paraphernalia was carried on. The fort is a magnificent architectural marvel deeply embedded in the history of Rajput dynasty of Jaipur. Well, friends I will not get into the detail of my travel experience, as I would like to focus on a very important art. As I was passing through the small haat ( a market ) attached to the fort; I saw a few kathputli (a regional version of puppet) artist trying to grab the audience. It was disheartening to see that they hardly could find an audience even when they were offering a show for 150 bucks!!! Such a delight at cheap rates yet no one was interested in experiencing it.
I can recall that in my childhood my grandparents would take me to the local fair to watch this show. The show was such a delight; the show would narrate beautiful stories of moral values in the wittiest way possible for kids. It was a medium of casual education; children could learn the life lesson in the most fun way possible.
A Little About Kathputli Kathputli is an Indian form puppet, which is famous for its dance and it has its roots in the Rajasthan state of India. This is an ancient source of entertainment; according to folklore its origin goes back to thousands of years. A legendary art of story-telling. The word kathputli is derived from two words where Kath means wood and Putli means a lifeless doll; these are basically wooden dolls dressed in bright colored traditional Rajasthani attire. The colors are very dark and bright and they highlight the regional culture. These puppets are tied with strings and artist makes them dance in an amusing way. The Kathputli dance is a legendary folk heritage of regional culture of India. A class of court entertainers; stemming from the Bhati community are the forerunners of this style of narration All the Kathputlies have a unique look with big eyes, colorful attire with gotta work which make them look flamboyant. The dolls are stuffed with cotton and their head is made of wood. The lower body is made of clothes stuffed with cotton so that they can be easily moved with threads. The palm is made of wood. The puppets are on stage protagonist of a story and backstage the artists narrate the story. Music and dance are part of the show.
The stories deal with all kinds of themes be it, love, valor, war, mundane life lessons or sensitive social issues like dowry, women empowerment, illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, and cleanliness. The main aim is entertainment with lessons important for social integration. 
An important feature of kathputli is how in popular culture; a new type of narration developed. The Indian movie Paheli is an example of it; puppets narrating story of the film.
In recent times the kathputli's have become a decorative piece in home décor. But the crucial narration element of the art is lost. In India, the metaphor of kathputli is famous for describing one who dances on whims of others.
The Digital Age
One of the reasons we are moving away from our culture and roots is the influence of digitalization. Our sources of entertainment are confined to gadgets especially the android phones. The app culture is glued us to the phone. In the realm of social networking, we forget our cultural networking. On my day of fort visit, I see people so engrossed in the selfie and update on social media that they failed to even have a glance at this lost art. Are we enslaved by this digital era?? Will our future be devoid of our ancient culture??
These are the pressing questions, which I deal with. Would love to hear fellow Steemian’s views??
If you happen to come across any regional art style, please pay heed to these dying gems of our roots.
image source:-
http://www.thefarhorizonmagazine.com
the only problem that we may face is that our attention spam reduces in front of so much information and we may experience and perceive less the impact of artistic expression, but hopefully our minds are ever evolving :)
Yes indeed. Well said.
To answer your questions, I think it is a matter of accessibility that's the only thing that the digital era does, it put's information in front of people easy ( a touch away), this is the reason you see so much engagement with it.
As for killing art forms I don't think the digital era does that, it offers new mediums of expression and exposure.
Narration and storytelling will never die, artists may choose to do it differently these days and choose different subjects, and even regional art styles have more chance of being known by masses everywhere with the help of digital era.
The only thing that has changed is the place where an audience gathers, street artists and performers may be ignored by
hundreds pedestrians that pass by, but they can reach thousands on youtube, traditional galleries and theaters may loose visitors but they can adapt and give exposure to arts on the internet.
I probably would have never heard about this beautiful art form that you have shared in this post, if not for this digital era that we are lucky to live in.
And I would have never met you, and I am very grateful for that :*
@alexandravart what a nice answer. Totally love how expressed our present reality. That is why i use steemit to help such artist. These crafts are loosing significance because many of the artist are illiterate , they do not know the world of youtube that is why we need to take this initiative on their behalf. I hope my content helps my cause.
Well said!
i love the post . it's well written with great points
Thank you friend.
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such a wonderful topic you picked. Brings back so many memories from childhood. Delhi Haat used to host special puppet shows over the weekend.
Times have changed and so does the whole puppet shows
Yes delhi haat is still a cultural hub trying to assimilate the regional art with the modern milieu
It has been so long since i watched a puppet show. But those memories are so vivid till date.
glad you liked it. i too recalled it when i went for a visit.