Story

Dalavai Chalapathi Rao is a celebrated master artisan from Nimmalakunta village in the Sri Sathya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh, India. is a third-generation leather puppeteer who was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri in 2020 for his lifelong dedication to preserving and promoting this vanishing craft He is internationally renowned for his work with Tholu Bommalata, the traditional shadow puppetry art of Andhra Pradesh. Crafting Process: The puppets and decorative items are painstakingly handcrafted from translucent goat hide. The leather is treated, dried, and scraped smooth, then intricately perforated, detailed, and painted with both natural and synthetic dyes.Diversified Products: Due to a decline in traditional shadow puppet theatre, Rao's family and community have adapted their skills to create a highly marketable range of leather products. These include: