At 96, Karnataka’s veteran puppeteer Bhimavva Doddabalappa Shillekyathara has been honoured with the Padma Shri for her contribution to the field of art, recognising more than seven decades spent preserving the traditional leather shadow-puppetry form Togalu Gombeyaata. Born in 1929 in Moranala village of Koppal district, Bhimavva comes from a family that has been associated with the art for more than a century.
The Padma Awards were announced on the eve of India’s 76th Republic Day in January 2025, while the award was formally presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremonial function in New Delhi. Bhimavva’s recognition highlights not only an individual artist’s lifelong dedication but also the importance of safeguarding traditional art forms that face the risk of fading amid changing forms of entertainment.
The government’s recognition places her decades of work performing, preserving and helping pass the craft to younger generations in the national spotlight. The Padma Shri is awarded for distinguished service in various fields, including art, social work, literature and education.
A Lifetime Behind The Screen
For Bhimavva, puppetry has never simply been a performance. Togalu Gombeyaata, which translates to leather puppet play in Kannada, is a traditional form of shadow puppetry in which carefully crafted leather figures are positioned behind a screen and illuminated from the back. Their shadows appear on the screen, creating a visual form of storytelling that combines puppetry, music, narration and craftsmanship. The form has traditionally been used to present stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, alongside folk narratives passed down through generations. Bhimavva learnt the craft within her family and spent more than 70 years performing it.
Her journey reflects the dedication required to keep an oral and visual tradition alive when audiences and practitioners increasingly move towards modern forms of entertainment. The puppets themselves require painstaking craftsmanship, with leather being cut, shaped and prepared into detailed figures that can be manipulated to bring characters to life.
Over the decades, Bhimavva became a torchbearer of this traditional art, continuing to perform while encouraging younger people to learn the craft. Her recognition is therefore significant beyond the award itself: it acknowledges an artist whose work has helped ensure that Togalu Gombeyaata remains a living cultural practice rather than becoming merely a relic of the past. The supplied source specifically describes her as a “torchbearer” for Karnataka’s traditional leather puppetry.
From A Family Tradition To A National Honour
Bhimavva’s story is closely tied to the history of her family and community. Born in Moranala village in Koppal district, she inherited a tradition that her family had preserved for generations. Instead of allowing the practice to disappear as its popularity declined, she continued to perform and share it. This continuity is particularly important for traditional art forms that depend heavily on practitioners passing knowledge directly from one generation to the next. The 2025 Padma Awards provided national recognition for this otherwise largely grassroots cultural work.
#WATCH | 96-year-old puppeteer Bhimavva Doddabalappa Shillekyathara receives Padma Shri award from President Droupadi Murmu for her contribution to the field of Art.
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2025
(Video Source: President of India/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/4PVvqSI9YL
The awards are announced annually on the occasion of Republic Day and are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions, usually held around March or April at Rashtrapati Bhavan. For 2025, the President approved 139 Padma Awards, comprising seven Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards. Bhimavva was among those recognised in the Padma Shri category for her contribution to art. Her formal recognition by President Droupadi Murmu also brought attention to the wider community of folk artists whose contributions are often rooted in villages and local cultural traditions rather than mainstream stages.
While the award recognises Bhimavva personally, its significance extends to the tradition she represents. Every performance, handmade puppet and story passed on to a younger practitioner contributes to preserving a part of Karnataka’s cultural heritage.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Bhimavva’s journey reminds us that cultural heritage survives because people choose to keep it alive. Traditional art forms cannot be preserved simply by placing them in museums or recording them in books; they need practitioners, audiences and younger generations willing to learn, perform and carry them forward. Her seven decades of dedication demonstrate how quiet, sustained work can have an impact far beyond one individual. The Padma Shri is therefore more than a personal accolade it is an acknowledgement of the value of folk traditions and the people who devote their lives to protecting them.
At a time when cultural practices can easily be overshadowed by faster and more modern forms of entertainment, recognising artists like Bhimavva can encourage society to look again at the traditions that connect communities with their history.
Her story also reminds us that age does not diminish the value of contribution; at 96, her work continues to represent resilience, knowledge and cultural continuity. The Logical Indian believes that preserving heritage should be a shared responsibility rooted in respect, empathy and intergenerational learning. What can we do as a society to ensure that artists like Bhimavva and the traditions they carry are valued and passed on to future generations?
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