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Puppetry in Jaipur: Cultural Change in Rajasthan, Part One
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17147 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
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12 / 1990 |
1,835 Words |
| Author
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Christi Ann Merrill
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"My grandfather was puppeteer and his grandfather a puppeteer before him," says Sitaram Bhatt from his hut in Kathputli Basti (Puppet Colony), an improvised artists' shantytown in the slums of Jaipur. "We would go from village to village all over the state and around the country. Sometimes it was Rajasthan, sometimes it was Uttar Pradesh, Bihar. We would arrive in the village and announce, 'Gather tonight for the puppet show! Come and watch!' and everyone would come. Some brought us lentils, some brought us rice. My grandmother, grandfather, and all the children would travel by cart and water buffalo, carrying our belongings. Then we came to the city, sold our water buffalo, and have stayed here ever since."
Sitaram's family was probably drawn to this prosperous capital by the impact tourism had on Jaipur's economy in the 1960s. The puppeteers quickly learned that there was great profit to be made performing for bedazzled foreigners - whose strong currency made them generous with the local rupee.
At first, the puppeteers performed the same show in five-star hotels and private gardens that they had played in the villages all over Rajasthan: Amar Singh Rathor ka Khel (The Play of Amar Singh Rathor). Yet the foreigners little understood the court battles and historical bouts enacted before them; the stories of enemies and lovers were as incomprehensible as the words themselves. Soon the show became abbreviated, an excuse to showcase the puppets the puppeteers wished to sell. Where the grand court scene had been a long procession of puppet musicians, jugglers, magicians, and court dancers performing for the puppet king and queen - as well as the village audience - it has come to resemble nothing more than a gaudy storefront.
As it is performed in villages, the story of Amar Singh Rathor serves as the climactic finale to the show. While the court assembles, other puppets entertain. It is only when Amar Singh Rathor enters the stage and a tremor runs through the assembly of puppets that the audience is reminded of the tension lurking in the corners. The tension builds as the entertainment becomes more and more festive, until it is broken with a violent cataclysm and the puppets lie lifeless on the floor. Nowadays, in their performances for tourists in Jaipur, the puppeteers forgo the drama and put on a short, catchy show designed to lure potential customers.
"The puppet show starts, and the customer has a good chance to see al the puppets," explains Gulzar Bhatt, a veteran of the hotel circuit. "He may think to himself, 'Should I buy this one? that one?' We cannot make the show too long or else he would become bored and leave."
Puppeteers are not paid to put on a show. Rather, they pay the hotel manager to have the privilege of performing, the understanding being that they will make money from selling their puppets. It was not always this way.
When Gulzar and his family began performing in the hotels some twenty years ago, he remembers: "The hotel managers used to give us Rs. 200 (U.S. $12) per performance, and they sent a jeep to pick us up and drop us off. Then what happened? Our community broke into factions. Now we have to pay Rs. 2,000, even Rs. 3,000 per month just to have a chance to perform at these places."
Garji Bhatt,
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