Oddly enough, Gujaratis glorify their cultural traditions. On the one hand, the state enjoys the top status in development, but on the other, ritualism, caste hierarchy, all types of inequality and of course poverty are rampant. In a state like Gujarat, this tension between traditions and hasty modernisation is very obvious. The cyclone of so-called development has swept away traditional knowledge, art forms and important cultural values.
N the last three decades, we have witnessed many traditional and folk art forms dying, dead or forgotten. Hiren Gandhi and Saroop Dhruv are cultural activists based in Ahmedabad. With the 1990s, and the advent of globalisation, these innovations have found little encouragement and puppeteers have increasingly become workers of an entertainment heritage industry, leading to new forms of neo-brahminical and neo-mercantile exploitation. After Independence, however, puppetry became a tool for development communication, reaching every nook and corner of rural and poor, urban Gujarat. This type of puppetry was known as a little tradition and considered a subaltern craft, not even an art form among the brah-Ī little tradition and subaltern craft, the wooden puppets or kathputalis were common to Gujarat, Rajasthan and the northern parts of India. Despite the lack of permanent housing or guaranteed work, their show went on. These artists were satisfied with a meagre subsistence, once a day dal, roti and pickles.
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