Kerala puppets showcase India’s pride in Korea museum
The Hindu
A recognition for the traditional temple art at Chuncheon Puppet Museum
Two Tholpavakoothu puppets from the district are on display at a prestigious international exhibition being held at Chuncheon in South Korea.
The puppets of Hanuman and Ravana will be boasting India’s long tradition of shadow puppetry for 10 months at the Chuncheon Puppet Museum, Korea.
The year-long exhibition of puppets is being held as part of the 2022 general assembly of the International Association of Puppet-Friendly Cities popular by the French acronym AVIAMA (Association des Villes Amies de la Marionnette).
Signing the contract with the Chuncheon authorities, Tholpavakoothu exponent Sajeesh Pulavar said that it was a recognition not only for the traditional temple art of shadow puppetry from the State, but also for the entire country which has given the world the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharat.
“The leather puppets of Ravana and Hanuman were chosen for the exhibition as they perfectly suited the Chuncheon theme of ‘traditional and contemporary Asian puppetry,” said Mr. Sajeesh.
Apart from the Tholpavakoothu puppets, a few puppets of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka too have been selected for the exhibition jointly being organised by the International Puppetry Association known by its French acronym UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionnette) and the Puppet Festival Chuncheon.
“Most traditional Indian puppet shows tell the story of Ramayana and Mahabharat. In States such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha, it is exclusively Ramayana,” said Mr. Sajeesh.