Started by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay,this is a treasure house of Indian crafts Way back in 1959,on a visit to a temple in Hindupur,Andhra Pradesh,Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay spotted Bommalattam puppets in the basement of the ancient shrine. The puppets belonged to an elderly woman whose puppeteer father was the last to perform Bommalattam,meaning the play of dolls,to bring rains in the region. Kamaladevi acquired them for the Srinivas Malliah Memorial Theatre Crafts Museum that she had set up in Delhi. The puppets became part of a collection of 5,000 crafts and accessories associated with indigenous theatre productions across India. The museum that the freedom fighter and the first president of World Crafts Council Kamaladevi started from her house in the 50s,acquired a new addresson Deendayal Upadhyay Margin the 80s. Kamala Devi dedicated it to the memory of freedom fighter Ullal Srinivas Malliah,a patron of rural crafts. A peep into this world of Indian theatre crafts and you come to know that Orissas Shahi Jatra uses wooden masks to depict gods and goddesses. The Ramlila of Ramnagar uses bronze ones. Beeswax,tamarind seeds,limestone and mica are used to make Ravanas crown in South India. And the Ravana in Ramanagar wears mirzai,a jacket made of silver tissue. The Yashagana Bayalata from Karnataka uses headgear with a design made from affixing rows of beetle wings. What does a carved Bhuta from Dakshina Kannada signify? How many pleats are there in the skirt that the lead character of Krishnanattam wears? Or why does the actor playing Krishna in Keralas Krishnanattam wear a garland of wool? The museum answers all such queries. From ornaments to masks,from props and curtains to headgear and dresses,the museums emphasis is on details as also on vanishing theatre crafts. On display are a series of stringed,rod,glove,and shadow puppets. Besides,theres also a small workshop where master craftsmen work on lost theatre crafts. However,all thisin a centrally located building and no entrance feehas not been able to generate footfalls for the museum. As Harpal,the manager,says,in a month about 20 people,mostly foreigners,visit the place. He blames the lack of publicity. The National Museum,which helps us in the upkeep of the place and conservation of the displays,is going to help us with publicity as well. Besides,we are trying to involve schools so that children get to know about traditional theatre. As a first step,70 school children will visit the place for the first time this month. Srinivas Malliah Memorial Theatre Crafts Museum,5,Deendayal Upadhyay Marg. Open from 10.30 a.m. to 5 p.m.,Monday to Saturday
