Aspiration International
Puppet making has a long history in parts of India, where puppet shows have been a primary source of entertainment in villages where people went to relax after their days of hard work. Nagaur, a small town in Rajasthan, is said to be the place where skilled wooden puppet making and performing originated, and there is still a class of people in and around Nagaur who specialise in this art form.
The puppets usually consist of a carved bust of a women or man, painted with local made oil paint showing sharp nose and eyebrows, and dressed up with colourful fabric. The hands, legs, and body are made using waste cotton rag. Simple strings tied to the player's fingers control the puppets' movement, and skilled puppet players can present two puppets or more simultaneously on the stage. Sometimes more than two puppet players perform accompanied by a Dholak (drum) player singing the tale of the show and another musician on a bamboo whistle.
Our puppets are made in a workshop run by Ganpat in New Delhi. Ganpat's father was a puppet maker and performer in Nagaur, until famine and lack of work drove his family to a makeshift tent in the slums of Delhi. While hawking his puppet show there one night, he was discovered and introduced to Oxfam Australia Trading by Aspiration International, an organisation which has helped us import handcrafts from small-scale producer groups for many years. Ganpat's embroidered toys, stuffed elephants and now puppets have appeared in our shops and catalogue since then.
Over the years, Ganpat's confidence and recognition have grown - he now sells to many local businesses, and has trained many new artisans in the craft to meet the growing demand. He has moved his family out of the tent, and has been able to send his children to school - all just a dream when his father led them from Nagaur to an uncertain future.
