A nomadic artiste holding on to the dying art of puppeteering 

A nomadic artiste holding on to the dying art of puppeteering

S. Muthusamy, a puppeteer, stays under a banyan tree that is full of bright red fruits and spreads its branches like a giant umbrella at Nadukurichi near Thisaiyanvilai in Tirunelveli district. For now, it is the shelter and theatre of the lanky artiste. In a few days, he may move to another village with his belongings in a cart, drawn by a single bullock, and stay under another tree or in a vacant building.

Mr. Muthusamy, who is in his late sixties, has no one for company. He has no permanent address, ration card or Aadhaar card to prove his identity. “My nomadic life began after the death of my father Sellaiah Rao, who was also a puppeteer. My mother Meenakshi used to accompany me. After her [death], I lead a lonely life,” said Mr. Muthusamy, who had a small house at Munanjipatti, but does not know what has happened to it now.

At 8 p.m., he would start the show for his audience, who are mostly children. “Adults are too engrossed in television shows and mobile phones to spare time for my show,” he said.

Mr. Muthusamy performs episodes from The Mahabharata, The Ramayana and folk stories like Nallathangal Kathai to entertain the children. While performing, he would sing, play the dholak, the mridhangam and the harmonium, and single-handedly lend his voice to all characters. But he does not collect money from the children. “I will go from house to house. People will give me money, rice and other provisions. That is adequate to meet my daily needs. I don’t want anything more. Now, I feel that a ration card may help me get rice and other essential commodities,” he said. He cooks once a day, and it is mostly rice and kuzhambu.

His wife lives in Theni as she is not ready for the life that Mr. Muthusamy has chosen. “I am carrying forward the family tradition. I do not know any other work,” he said.

Mr. Muthusamy is the only artiste offering a throwback to the period when puppeteers — native of Maharashtra who first migrated to Thanjavur before spreading out to other areas — led a nomadic life and made a living through their shows.

“Even my family moved from one place to another to make a living by performing puppetry till I was 19. Subsequently, we settled at one place. But Mr. Muthusamy has become a relic,” said Muthuchandran Rao, a well-known puppeteer and Mr. Muthusamy’s nephew.