THOLU BOMMALATA. Our Fabulous World. July 2021 Dance of the puppets. Sriramulu is from a tiny hamlet in Andhra Pradesh. His family is from a generation of Tholu Bhommalata artists. Tholu Bhommalata literally means the dance of the leather puppets. Sriramulu is excited to talk about this art, its tradition and his family’s engagement with it. Tholu Bhommalata is a time consuming and intricate process using goat’s hide that is further processed on which the craftsman then carves and paint. Sriramulu makes puppets, paintings, vases, wall hangings and lampshades. His family is doing every bit to keep the tradition alive. This art is also a source of livelihood for him. The beautiful and colorful spectrum of products depicts folklore and stories from Krishna Leela, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and hosts of characters in a narrative form. The performers of this art form were traditionally groups of wandering entertainers who travel to places singing ballads, telling stories, and selling their products. This was before the advent of Radio, TV, and Digital entertainment Our Fabulous world is pleased to partner with Sriramulu, a Tholu Bhommalata artist to bring exquisite products to our members. A 3RD CENTURY BC FOLK WONDER. An ancient leather art. Tholu Bhommalata is one of the earliest performing arts dating back to the 3rd century B.C. Only a handful of artists are in the business of making leather puppets and products to keep the traditional alive. Now, the artists of this traditional and age-old art form are struggling to keep the tradition alive. This has led them to a downhill. Sriramulu continues to dedicate his life in keeping up with his family tradition. His products display his sheer artistic effort. The covid pandemic has also put his business in a dire state. It is a struggle to find buyers. At Our Fabulous World, we are pleased to partner with Sriramulu to bring his exquisite products to our members. We care about our community. Our members play a vital role here. With every purchase our members make, they are contributing towards supporting our partners like Sriramulu. We contribute at grassroots level to the development of a sustainable and healthy community. OUR FABULOUS WORLD. I am pleased to share with you our July 2021 Blog. This edition features Tholu Bommalata dating back to 3rd century BC. This art reached its pinnacle during the Vijayanagar empire. The products are folk in style made of goat leather using vegetable colors. We are pleased to partner with Sriramulu who hails from a village in Andhra Pradesh. Sriramulu and his family practice this ancient art and produce exquisite products unique in conception and execution for Our Fabulous World members. As always, we welcome your feedback and recommendations. Lakshmi Shashi www.ourfabulousworld.com To our Members and Merchants.
