Delve into the fascinating world of puppets with puppeteer Mohammad Shameem

We talk puppets, their significance today, and the ebb and flowy personal journey of Mohammad Shameem at the Jaigarh Heritage Festival
Delve into the fascinating world of puppets with puppeteer Mohammad Shameem
Shameem with his giant puppets
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As we walked across the steep terrains of the Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur to attend the debut edition of the Jaigarh Heritage Festival hosted by His Highness Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh and Teamwork Arts , the vibrant giant size puppets dancing to the live singing of Jaisalmer Boys caught our eyes. Dressed in vibrant colours of deep green, blue, pink and orange; complete with traditional jewellery, all handmade and hand stitched to suit the occasion, the puppets were a major attraction of the two-day festival. Given that Rajasthan has a rich history of puppetry it was apt to kick off the celebrations with their presence which truly symbolised the heritage of the state. Over the course of their performance interspersed with tourists and visitors posing with them for photographs, we discovered that they were the brainchild of Mohammad Shameem, founder Puppetshala Performing Arts.  We stole some moments to catch up with him on his endeavors and decoding puppetry today amidst the colourful ambiance.

Puppetry as an art form

Talking about the popularly practiced forms of puppetry today he mentions, “String Puppets or what is known as katputli (wooden dolls) is very popular.  Shadow puppetry or chaya putul comes next. It is highly popular in South India. Third is rod puppet, which most modern puppeteers use. In fact, in Bengal there is a tradition of rod puppets. Fourth is glove puppetry. This gulabo-sitabo is a traditional puppetry from Uttar Pradesh. Most states in India have their own traditional puppetry form.”

Decoding a puppet

The first generation puppeteer who honed his skills under various mentors before finally starting his own endeavour continues, “The ones here [at the festival] are called human giant puppets. It is specifically designed for one person to maneuver. The individual is standing and the puppet is harnessed onto him. The hands of the puppets are controlled by sticks as these are rod puppets. “He further states, “So you will have to design the puppet according to your requirement. If you are making a puppet according to the Japanese technique Bonraku, every element there moves – fingers, eyes, eyebrows etc. It takes three people to maneuver one puppet.”

A quick peek decoding the puppet
A quick peek decoding the puppet

Puppetry today

When asked the significance of the art form for today’s youth he recalls, “When I started off in 2005 puppetry did not have many takers. But now there are many master classes  and workshops. Today a lot of people are involved in this art. Also, puppetry is no longer a secluded art. It finds a space everywhere – from theatre to dance. Also, it is interesting to note that there are so many broadways and musicals happening abroad, which are impossible without puppetry in some form.  Puppetry as an art form is expanding today and people are joining in with more ideas and original content.” He also stresses on collaboration mentioning, “Collaboration is what makes things strive. When two art forms meet, a new innovation takes place. In fact, I would want to collaborate with every art form. Art is what makes the community prosper.”

Of fate lines

Taking a break from the present, we took a stroll down the memory line where Shameem recalls his journey which includes his fare share of struggles to finally finding his calling through puppetry. The performer and puppet designer who has productions like Gulliver’s Travels, Pinocchio, Humara Circus and more to his credit contemplates, “ In 1997 I left my home and came to Delhi when I was around 10 or 11 years old. My father used to send me to a Madrasa to study. I don’t know what happened to me one day, but instead of going to the Madrasa, I caught the train to come to Delhi. I lived in the station for three days. Whenever I tried to come out the loud noise and the big vehicles made it very overwhelming for me.” He continues, “One day I met a person who was offering work. I travelled with him to Meerut. But again I ran away and came to Delhi station after two-three years. That was when a volunteer from Salaam Baalak Trust approached me and took me to the institution. I started studying there. I soon found out a lot of encouragement is given to the arts there. So, I started participating in them and honed my skills in puppetry. In 2008, I started my own venture Puppetshala Performing Arts and have travelled nationally and internationally with it thereafter.”

These colorful puppets in action were the first attraction upon entering the festival
These colorful puppets in action were the first attraction upon entering the festival

Going international

Apart from having regular shows and tours in India, Shameem also travels abroad quite often to attend and participate in puppetry festivals. He shares his observations, “In India puppetry is a rich and age old art. But in abroad also, they are very focused on puppetry. In fact, we are probably unlucky that there are not too many puppet festivals in our country. But outside, there are several festivals every year. They are working so well in this field that sometimes we tend to think that we have to learn a lot.”  He also re-iterates, “Platforms like the Jaigarh Heritage Festival are very important as it gives us space to showcase. When puppets come to these festivals the general mass becomes aware.”

Looking forward

He quickly shares his plans for the rest of the year before signing off by saying that would be having tours in “Chicago, Columbia University, Delhi, Germany, Bengaluru, Pune etc.” He also states, “I have recently received a production grant, so I will be working on that production too and hoping to premiere it in August.”

Delve into the fascinating world of puppets with puppeteer Mohammad Shameem
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