HOUSTON: A great Sanskrit epic depicting the story of Lord Ram and Ram Parivar, Ramayana performances will be held in various parts of USA through shadow puppetry of Malaysia in the coming weeks Performances will be held in Houston (February 22-28), Atlanta and other parts of Georgia (March 1-7), Gainesville (Florida) (March 8-14). The performances have already ended in Crockett (Texas) on February 21.
In “Wayang Kulit: The Shadow Play of Kelantan”, an ancient form of puppet theater, the shadows of intricately carved leather puppets will be projected onto a screen, showcasing the plays based on Ramayana. These will be performed by a team of puppeteers and musicians from Kelantan region of Malaysia.
Produced by Arts Midwest in association with University of Florida, Georgia State University, Houston’s Society for the Performing Arts and Piney Woods Fine Arts Association of Crockett (Texas); “Wayang Kulit: The Shadow Play of Kelantan” received support from Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and Remo-drumheads manufacturer, reports suggest. David J. Fraher and Peter Capell are President and Board Chair respectively of Arts Midwest, an arts organization headquartered in Minneapolis which “nurtures cultural leadership”.
Ramayana tells the story of Lord Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and it contains about 25,000 shlokas.
The 90-minute play will be presented by10 people traveling. An English-speaking couple dedicated “to preserving this art form” will be with the group from Malaysia, most of whom speak little or no English.
There is one puppeteer who does all the puppets and all the voices, including making them from leather.
Traditional Malaysian instruments are also used. The puppet master has up to 40 voices.
Residents of the villages where Wayang Kulit is still practiced in Malaysia are generally Muslim. The story they present, however, comes from a Hindu epic, the Ramayana. It’s the universal story of good versus evil that traveled from India to the regions where the Wayang Kulit tradition is maintained.
UNESCO designated Wayang Kulit as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003. The shadow puppet traditions are endangered by the encroachment of big cities. They are pure folkloric productions.
While traditional Wayang Kulit often use stories from the Ramayana or another Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, there are also stories from Javanese folklore. The shadow puppetry has also been adapted by teachers of Islamic and Christian tenets.
India Post News Service
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