A Kerala-based Robotics Company has initiated a programme to preserve the 4,000-year-old dying art form of puppetry, using technology and automation.

Tholapavakoothu the Shadow Puppetry of Kerala, is played traditionally by 'Pulavar' accompanied with shadow light, sound, and songs. Pulavar is the title given to a scholar and performer who has extensive knowledge of Tholapavakoothu.

The first live model of the automated process in puppetry was showcased at the District Heritage Museum in Palakkad. With zero compromises on the traditional art form, the automation technology is designed to seamlessly mimic the puppet movements, otherwise controlled by skilled hand movements. The soul of puppetry is the skilled hand movements that control the puppets. A typical performance usually has a group of 7 people managing the puppets in cohesion to produce the narrative.

Commenting on this initiative, Rahul P Balachandran, CEO, Inker Robotics, said "The application of automation in trying to revive the art form from dying is one of the many examples that when innovatively used, the benefits of automation is transformational."

In modern times, educationists the world over have realised the potential of puppetry as a medium for communication and by bringing in such inclusion one can bring back the age old way of interactive communication effectively for children and thereby preserving the art form and making learning more interesting, he said.

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