{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} [[File:Sakhi Kandhei (String puppets of Odisha) at Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, Pune.JPG|thumb|Sakhi Kandhei of Odisha preserved in [[Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum]], [[Pune]]]] '''Sakhi kandhei''' (Also ''sakhi kundhei'', ''sakhi nata'') is a string [[puppetry]] show popular in the [[India]]n state of [[Odisha]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Communication and the Traditional Media: Papers and Proceedings of Seminar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X0AtAAAAMAAJ|year=1981|publisher=Indian Institute of Mass Communication}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Mukherjee|first=Anusua|date=2017-11-25|title=Puppetry in Odisha: who is pulling the strings?|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/puppetry-in-odisha-who-is-pulling-the-strings/article20781988.ece|access-date=2021-01-13|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> especially in the [[Kendrapara district]] of [[Odisha]]. This form of art is still performed by local artists in and around Palakana, a small village in Kendrapara. Puppeteers generally form groups and travel from village to village for performing shows. Wooden dolls are tied to strings which are controlled by pulling and releasing the strings. Different expressions by pulling the strings narrate tales from the [[Puranas]] and modern social life.<ref>{{cite book|title=Cultural Heritage of Orissa: Justice Sri Harihar Mahapatra Felicitation Volume|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W2ZuAAAAMAAJ|year=1993|publisher=Institute of Oriental and Orissan Studies}}</ref> A group of artists perform music and give background voice for the narration of stories.<ref name=TIE>{{cite news|title=String puppetry – A dying art form|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/string-puppetry-a-dying-art-form/|accessdate=27 February 2014|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=26 February 2014}}</ref><ref name=Hindu>{{cite news|title=A dying art form|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-otherstates/a-dying-art-form/article5728223.ece|accessdate=27 February 2014|date=26 February 2014}}</ref><ref name=OTV>{{cite news|title=String puppetry – A dying art form|url=http://www.odishatv.in/string-puppetry-a-dying-art-form/|accessdate=27 February 2014|newspaper=OTV|date=25 February 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303012846/http://www.odishatv.in/string-puppetry-a-dying-art-form/|archivedate=3 March 2014}}</ref><ref name=Jagran>{{cite news|title=String puppetry: A dying art form|url=http://post.jagran.com/string-puppetry-a-dying-art-form-1393323835|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401053723/http://post.jagran.com/string-puppetry-a-dying-art-form-1393323835|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 April 2014|accessdate=27 February 2014|newspaper=The Jagran|date=25 February 2014}}</ref>
Considering sakhi kandhei a dying art form, Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi is taking steps to popularize and revive it.<ref name=TOI>{{cite news|last=Singha|first=Minati|title=Dying art forms find a stage in city|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Dying-art-forms-find-a-stage-in-city/articleshow/7789006.cms?referral=PM|accessdate=27 February 2014|newspaper=The Times of India|date=25 March 2011}}</ref> A handful of puppeteers have taken initiatives to revive this art form.<ref name=PTI>{{cite news|title=String puppetry – A dying art form|url=http://www.ptinews.com/news/4439135_String-puppetry---A-dying-art-form.html|accessdate=27 February 2014|newspaper=Press Trust of India|date=25 February 2014}}</ref>
{{Rquote|2=I carve out wooden puppets on orders received from puppet show operators. The dolls made by me fetch money, in addition to what I earn by staging the shows.|3=Fakir Singh, puppeteer from Palakana}}
==Puppets== Wooden puppets are used in Sakhi kandhei which have three pieces; head and the two hands with the wrists with hole in them to insert fingers. The three pieces are joined together and long sleeved dresses are used to cover the bodies. Strings are attached to the thumb, limbs and other body parts which are pulled and released to give rhythmic gesture based on the story's narratives.<ref name="Cuttack1985">{{cite book|author=Kala Vikash Kendra, Cuttack|title=Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vfxkAAAAMAAJ|year=1985}}</ref><ref name="KothariKarlekar1989">{{cite book|author1=Sunil Kothari|author2=Ranjita Karlekar|title=Damaru, Essays on the Theatre & Theatre Crafts of Eastern India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U_9kAAAAMAAJ|year=1989|publisher=Council and the Centre}}</ref>
{{Rquote|2=It’s a tough battle to keep the art alive when more attractive means of entertainment are bombarded round the clock on the electronic media. So, the question is how long these handful of artistes will be able to carry on the ancient traditional art to future generations.|3=Basudeb Das, Puppetry researcher<ref name=TIE /><ref name=Hindu /><ref name=OTV /><ref name=Jagran />}}
==See also==
* [[Chadar Badar]], puppet art of Santhal people of India * [[Gopalila]], puppet art of Odisha state of India * [[Kathputli (puppetry)]], puppet art of Rajasthan state of India * [[Nokkuvidya pavakali]], puppet art of Kerala state of India * [[Rabana Chhaya]], shadow puppet art of Odisha state of India * [[Shadow play]], shadow puppet art which originated in first millennium BCE in India * [[Tholpavakoothu]], shadow puppet art of Kerala and Tami Nadu states of India * [[Tholu bommalata]], shadow puppet art of Andhra Pradesh state of India * [[Togalu gombeyaata]], shadow puppet art of Karnataka state of India * [[Wayang]], puppet art of Indonesia inspired by Indian puppetry
==References== {{Reflist}}
==See also== * [[Kathputli (Puppet)]] * [[Puppetry]]
{{Odia culture}}
[[Category:Performing arts in Odisha]] [[Category:Puppetry in India]]
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