Traditional Kathputli Puppet Making and Craftsmanship
Discover the parampara of Rajasthani puppetry. Learn how we hand-carve, paint, and bring our puppets to life in our Delhi studio.
This video celebrates World Puppet Day by showing the entire process. You can see students carving, painting, and me testing the finished puppet. This is how we keep the art alive.
About The Making of a Puppet
You will start with a raw block of wood and learn to carve the structure, hand-stitch traditional Rajasthani attire, and master the delicate art of string manipulation. We avoid factory-made materials entirely, teaching you the exact slow, meditative process we use to prepare our puppets for the main stage.
Keeping the Parampara Alive
For me, a puppet is not a toy. It is a vessel for our stories, our parampara (tradition), and our history. When you join our workshop, you are stepping into a studio where the chisel hits the wood the same way it did for my dada-pardada (grandparents).
What You Will Learn
We guide you through the complete lifecycle of a Kathputli:
- Carving: Shaping the head and torso from traditional wood.
- Painting: Applying the expressive, vibrant faces that define Rajasthani folk art.
- Costuming: Stitching the ghaghra-choli and turbans using authentic folk fabrics.
- Manipulation: Learning how to breathe life into the wood using the correct string tension.
Whether you are a student or a parent wanting to connect your children with their culture, I want to show you that art never dies—it only needs a pair of hands to keep it moving. We provide all the materials, from the wood to the paint, and we take our time because this is not about speed; it is about preservation. We have hosted workshops for institutions ranging from local Delhi schools to IIT, and I am always happy to share this craft with anyone who respects the tradition.
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