A new dawn for leather puppetry in the Godavari region Premium

Reviving ancient leather puppetry in Madhavapatnam, Andhra Pradesh through Sangeet Natak Akademi's 'Kala Diksha' initiative.

MADHAVAPATNAM (KAKINADA DT)

The Sangeet Natak Akademi, India’s premier academy of music, dance and drama, has attempted to revive ancient theatre performance of leather puppetrythat is on the brink of extinction in the Godavari region of Andhra Pradesh. In recent years, leather puppetry survived in the Godavari region despite scores of puppeteer families have embraced another faith and quit their tradition.

Of the nearly 300 families belonging to the leather puppetry, barely 60 performers are left now in the Madhavapatnam panchayat near Kakinada city. Around 150 families have quit puppetry after they embraced a new faith. 

A century ago, the leather puppeteers migrated from Maharashtra and settled in Madhavapatnam panchayat. Very few families reside in areas surrounding the Kakinada city — Karapa, Mandapeta, and Peddapuram in the erstwhile East Godavari district. 

In December 2023, Sangeet Natak Akademy designated Madhavapatnam-based puppeteer Thota Balakrishna to revive leather puppetry by handing over the theatre tradition to the next generation through the ‘Guru-Sishya Parampara’ (teacher-disciple tradition) as part of the ‘Kala Diksha’ initiative. The revival of puppetry is in the non-formal method of training. Preservation of traditional arts is the prime aim of Kala Diksha.

“The training should be done in non-formal and personalised atmosphere in Guru-Sishya parampara, which has been the hallmark of our ancient Sanatana tradition,” says Raju Das, secretary, Sangeet Natak Akademi in his letter to Balakrishna. 

Ten students have enrolled to be groomed as budding leather puppeteers under ‘Kala Diksha’. On March 1, the four-month training programme began in Madhavapatnam under the mentorship of Balakrishna.