The art of puppetry in Bangladesh dates back to at least a thousand years. In the past, certain members of the Hindu community would wander from village to village holding puppet shows. Today, members of the Muslim community are also showing interest in this art. Bharamanbaria was known as the hub of puppet shows. Puppet show is a part of the country’s folk culture and tradition, but now it is rarely seen in urban communities. The rural people do get a chance to enjoy puppet shows at least once or twice in a year but the city dwellers hardly have the scope to indulge in this art form.
The tradition of what is commonly known as ‘putul naach’ is slowly dieing as young people are not encouraged to appreciate this form of art. Also, due to the aggression of electronic media, the artistes are marginalised and the art form is facing extinction. So to shed light on this topic, one must be familiarised with the types of puppets that are common in Bangladesh. According to Banglapedia, the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh, there are three types of puppets. Wire puppets, stick puppets and tressed puppets, which are made of shola and light wood. They are adorned with cloth and ornaments. Tressed puppets or ‘beni putuls’ are the ones where two or more puppets are tied and moved together. A skilled puppeteer can manipulate up to three puppets in a go, making them dance or move.
According to the Hindu rural convention, puppet shows were generally about Radha and Krishna or the abduction of Sita. Sometimes, religious stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata were also depicted by puppeteers. Puppet shows are also about social themes and domestic life. In Bangladesh, puppet shows are mostly staged to represent social awareness. Issues like education, family planning, health and hygiene are brought to the forefront by this medium.
The tradition of what is commonly known as ‘putul naach’ is slowly dieing as young people are not encouraged to appreciate this form of art. Also, due to the aggression of electronic media, the artistes are marginalised and the art form is facing extinction. So to shed light on this topic, one must be familiarised with the types of puppets that are common in Bangladesh. According to Banglapedia, the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh, there are three types of puppets. Wire puppets, stick puppets and tressed puppets, which are made of shola and light wood. They are adorned with cloth and ornaments. Tressed puppets or ‘beni putuls’ are the ones where two or more puppets are tied and moved together. A skilled puppeteer can manipulate up to three puppets in a go, making them dance or move.
According to the Hindu rural convention, puppet shows were generally about Radha and Krishna or the abduction of Sita. Sometimes, religious stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata were also depicted by puppeteers. Puppet shows are also about social themes and domestic life. In Bangladesh, puppet shows are mostly staged to represent social awareness. Issues like education, family planning, health and hygiene are brought to the forefront by this medium.