Kendrapara: The puppet artistes of Palakana and Mantripada villages under Sadar and Derabisi blocks respectively of Kendrapara district are passing through an acute financial crunch due to the COVID-19 outbreak. To compound their problems, the artistes have also not received the financial assistance announced by both the Odisha government and Centre. They have appealed to both the state government and Centre to help them out with financial aid. .
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It should be mentioned here that the majority of Odisha’s puppet artistes reside in these two villages. Artistes of Palakana are renowned for puppets made up of coloured threads while those from Mantripada are known for Sakhi Kandhei.
An artiste of Mantripada village Sridhar Singh said, “I had received advance from over 50 parties to conduct puppet shows between March and July. However, not a single show could be conducted because of the lockdown restrictions. So I had to return the advances I had taken from the different parties.
Puppeteer Fakir Singh of Palakana village also had a similar opinion to offer. “This typical art form thrives only in a very few villages of the district. Despite the fact that puppetry does not fit into modern scheme of living and people have several other sources of entertainment, puppet shows are still popular in rural areas across Odisha,” said Fakir.
Reacting to this, the district culture officer Chandrakant Nayak said, “Few of the puppet artistes were paid allowances, as per provisions of the state government. We are expediting the process to include many more. A plan to utilise the talents of puppet artistes in different awareness programmes of the Odisha government is under way.”
Notably, Sakhi Kandhei shows are performed by the puppet artistes with the help of three wooden sticks. Similarly, thread-made puppet shows are conducted with the help of fine wires. ‘Gopa Leela’ puppet gloves have earned name and fame across the state.
PNN