Echoes of the Past, Visions for the Future: Delving into the Functionalities of String Puppet Theatre of Bengal

Traditional String Puppetry bears a significant position in the cultural scenario of Bengal. Performers, with their dance-drama involving the folklores and legends from epic and Puranas, have bustled across the alleys of rural Bengal and enchanted the people with their beautifully adorned puppets. However, at present, this folk-performance art is facing issues that have, to a large extent, marginalised this art-tradition. The performers are trying hard to meet the challenges emerged as a result of the outbreak of modern means of public entertainments. Adopting subtle dynamic changes has become one of the key tools of survival for this performance art. This paper would like throw a searching light on the history and development of this art-tradition in Bengal. This will also try to highlight the areas where the changes have taken place in order to determine a better future course for this glorious folk-performance art of West Bengal.