India’s Artists Are Struggling To Keep Their Art And Families Alive

Imagine sitting amidst people, lights dim, a slight breeze in the air, and watching the beautiful stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata unfold before you. That is the experience of watching the ancient art of leather puppetry. 

Sindhe Sriramulu was only a young boy when he learnt this ancient art of storytelling from his mother. He grew up learning to create these puppets around a world of colours, art, and mythology in Nimmalakunta, a small village in Andhra Pradesh. Today, he’s a leather puppet artist, but his life is far from easy. He is struggling not only to take this ancient art form forward but also to keep his family from starving.

There are many people like Sindhe who grew up learning this art form and earned a living from it, but unfortunately, they’re struggling to get by due to the pandemic. With no shows or exhibitions, they’ve lost their only means of livelihood. 

“Now we can’t even go to other villages to sell the puppets or have shows and exhibitions. How do we survive when we’re not earning anything? How do we feed our families? We not only have to try and keep this art alive but also our families.” 

The art of leather puppetry or tholu bommalata (‘Tolu’ refers to leather, ‘bomma’ means doll and ‘atta’ means play) dates back to the 15th century where they used the puppets to tell mythological stories. These puppet artists from Andhra Pradesh are well known for their craft and were frequently seen in exhibitions in cities all over India. They would go from village to village, with shows sometimes going on for hours together. Some of them have even received awards for their work and contribution to India’s culture and heritage.

In an effort to support these artists and the art form, an association for puppet artists was formed in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh in 2012. However, the pandemic has had a devastating effect on our greatest artists. There are around 60 families practicing this art form now, and despite their talent and the association’s best efforts, they’re suffering today because of this crisis. 

About Chitrakari Association - Located in Ananthapur, this associated was started by a group of local artists in 2012. Since then, they have worked for the welfare of this community.

Note: All the donations towards this campaign is eligible for Indian Tax Exemption.