Mahabharata’s Keechak Vadh was showcased brilliantly through ‘shadow puppetry’. Marking the grand opening of ‘Putul Samaroh’ on Saturday renowned puppeteer S Hanumantu Rao depicted Keechak Vadh at Madhya Pradesh State Tribal Museum.
The Indian mythological tale was beautifully showcased through the shadow puppetry style. It is to be noted that there are many types of shadow puppets in India and many different styles exist in different states. The shadow puppet tradition of Andhra Pradesh is very rich, the Shadow Puppet drama is called "Tolu Bommalatta".
For effigy display, their light is carried out behind the screen, so that the viewers can see these puppets from the other side of the screen. These puppets are painted on either side, which gives a colorful shadow on the screen. Music of puppet plays is mainly classical music of this region and their stories are taken from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas.
The story picked up by Rao was Keechak Vadh. It narrates the tale of Keechak, army commander of Matsya, the country ruled by King Virata, his lust for the beauty of Draupadi and his slaughter by Bhima.
Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas was disguised as a sairandhri female servant in King Virata's palace. Kichaka once saw Malini and madly desired to enjoy her beauty, but she refused. She was pursued by Kichaka to the throne room, where she was once again humiliated before a full assembly of courtiers.
Draupadi consulted her husband Bhima, who was disguised as the palace cook. Together, they hatched a plan wherein Draupadi, disguised as Malini, would seduce Kichaka and arrange a rendezvous in the dance hall after dark. When Kichaka arrived in the dance hall, Bhima brutally killed Kichaka with his bare hands.