Famous Indian Puppeteers: Masters of Traditional and Modern Puppetry
Puppetry is an ancient art form in India, blending storytelling, performance, and craft. This article celebrates the contributions of four renowned Indian puppeteers—Suresh Dutta, Ranganatha Rao, Dadi Pudumjee, and Ramdas Pandhye. These masters have not only preserved traditional puppetry but have also introduced innovative techniques, bringing the magic of puppetry to global audiences. Discover their remarkable journeys, achievements, and the unique styles that define their legacy in Indian puppetry.
Suresh Dutta is an Indian puppet artist, theatre personality, and
the founder of the Calcutta Puppet Theatre, a Kolkata-based theatre group
dedicated to puppetry. Born in 1934 in Faridpur, undivided Bengal of British
India, he took a diploma in dance, drama, and music, and received training in
fine arts from the Albert League Temple Art School and College. Dutta also
trained under Phani Bhushan, a Jatra exponent, and learned Kathakali under
Balakrishna Menon. He also learned Bharatanatyam and Manipuri, which stood him
in good stead in his parallel career as a puppeteer at the Children’s Little
Theatre, Calcutta in 1954, where he produced several shows with marionettes, of
which Mithuya in 1955 and Dustu Indur (Naughty Mouse) in 1956 became immensely popular.

Mr. Ranganatha Rao was a pioneering artist of Kannada puppetry. Ranganatha Rao was born in 1932. He learned the traditional art from his grandfather, Narasingha Rao, a professional puppeteer. He took up employment as a school teacher but later quit his government teaching job to take up puppetry as a full-time profession. Backed by an academic background in drama and theatre, it was natural for Ranganatha Rao to use puppets as a medium of expression to teach children in schools, especially in rural Karnataka.
Rao
specialized in rod puppetry. The rod puppet is the most difficult to manipulate
because they are one of the largest puppets, measuring three feet tall and
weighing about 15 kilos. The entire movement is controlled by two thin rods
attached to the puppet's hands. The artist also wears a circular ring on his
head to make flexible manipulations for life-like movements of the puppet’s
head and body. Additionally, the feet movements have to be fluid, mingling with
the characters of the story.
Rao
specialized in rod puppetry. The rod puppet is the most difficult to manipulate
because they are one of the largest puppets, measuring three feet tall and
weighing about 15 kilos. The entire movement is controlled by two thin rods
attached to the puppet's hands. The artist also wears a circular ring on his
head to make flexible manipulations for life-like movements of the puppet’s
head and body. Additionally, the feet movements have to be fluid, mingling with
the characters of the story.
Rao
built an expert team of performers and singers to create a wholesome
mini-theatre of rod puppets, rooted in the ethos of traditional folk music and
culture. Rao and his troupe toured around the country, conducting shows,
lecture demonstrations, and workshops to prove that the rod puppet could be a
wonderful medium of entertainment and education.
In
recognition of his work and contribution to reviving the art form, the Sangeet
Natak Akademi conferred Rao with a national award in 1981. Rao’s puppets are
displayed in prominent museums around the world, including the Victoria and
Albert Museum (UK), Swiss Puppet Museum (Fribourg, Switzerland), Tokyo Puppet
Museum (Japan), and China Puppet Museum (Beijing). The Karnataka State
Rajyotsava Award for 2016 and the Kamala Award from the Crafts Council of India
this year speak volumes about his contribution to the field of puppetry.
Born
on 15 September 1951, Dadi Pudumjee is a leading puppeteer in India and the
founder of The Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak
Akademi Award in 1992. He is the president of Union Internationale de la
Marionnette (International Puppetry Association). His university education was
in Pune and later at the National Institute of Design (NID) and Darpana Academy
of Performing Arts in Ahmedabad, under the late Meher Contractor. After this,
he went to the Marionette Theatre Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, where he
studied puppetry under Michael Meschke.
Pudumjee's puppetry is not restricted to the more common versions of string and hand puppets. He has also used semi-sculptural puppets that are attached to actors' bodies and carried across the stage. An accomplished artist in the rare skill of puppetry, Dadi Pudumjee is single-handedly responsible for introducing Indian puppet theatre to the world. With the intent to provide art that can change the lives of society, he ran a successful program on HIV awareness and substance abuse in partnership with UNESCO, using puppetry as a medium for communication. Through his foundation, Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust, he aims to strengthen the art, support and develop the traditional puppetry of India, and broaden the aspect and use of puppetry as a form of expression.
4. Ramdas Pandhye
Ramdas
Pandhye is an Indian ventriloquist, puppeteer, and puppet maker. In the past four
decades or so, he has conducted around 9,000 ventriloquism and puppet shows in
India and abroad. His shows have regularly appeared on Doordarshan since 1972,
and he has also developed the first Indian websites on ventriloquism and
puppetry. He was the first Indian ventriloquist to perform ventriloquism and
puppet-based shows on NBC, ABC, and CBS television in America, as well as on
BBC’s Channel Four. His puppets ‘Ardhavatrao’ and ‘Awadabai’ were very popular
during the 1970s. He made many puppets on socially relevant subjects like
family planning, small savings, child education, etc.
Carriers of a Timeless Craft
The world of Indian puppetry owes much to the pioneering efforts
of Suresh Dutta, Ranganatha Rao, Dadi Pudumjee, and Ramdas Pandhye. Their
dedication and creativity have ensured that this traditional art form continues
to enchant audiences across the globe. By blending tradition with innovation,
they have opened new avenues for puppetry, making it a powerful medium for
education, entertainment, and social change. Their legacies inspire future
generations to explore and expand the horizons of puppetry.
Please do read my other blogposts, link below:⏬
DIFFERENT TYPES OF PUPPETS FOUND IN INDIA
THEMES OF PUPPETS SHOWS IN INDIA
ROLE OF PUPPETEER IN PUPPETRY SHOWS
KATHPUTLI-THE TRADITIONAL FOLK ART OF RAJASTHAN
PUTUL NAACH(DANCE):THE FOLK PUPPETRY OF WEST BENGAL
ADVANTAGES OF PUPPETRY AS A MEDIUM FOR EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION
PUPPETRY AS MEDIUM FOR DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION
EXPLORING THE COMPLEX CHARACTER OF NOBITA NOBI IN DORAEMON
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