Rainbow Puppetry
Since 1982 · Dharapuram
The Story Journey Honours Rainbow Puppetry Gallery Archive Eddy Trust
Dr. N. Dhanaraj seated with a glove puppet on each hand, holding the CCRT 'Two Fools' booklet

Puppeteer — Teacher — Dharapuram, India

Leather, lamplight,legacy.

For forty-four years, Dr. N. Dhanaraj — teacher, headmaster and puppeteer of Dharapuram — has kept Tamil Nadu's traditional art of puppetry alive. More than 2,000 performances. Every one of them free.

44 years of service to the art 2,000+ performances Dharapuram, Tamil Nadu
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Republic Day Parade, New DelhiCCRT New DelhiSiem Reap, CambodiaManipur–Moreh BorderSangeet Natak · Schools of Tamil NaduNehru Yuva Kendra Republic Day Parade, New DelhiCCRT New DelhiSiem Reap, CambodiaManipur–Moreh BorderSangeet Natak · Schools of Tamil NaduNehru Yuva Kendra
44
Continuous years
2,000+
Free performances
7+
National & state honours
₹0
Ever charged for the art
Dr. N. Dhanaraj — formal portrait

The story

Born in 1951 at Dharapuram, Dhanaraj trained as a teacher at the Government Teacher Training School there, took his M.A. in History from Madras University and his M.Ed. from Annamalai University. In 1982, a young teacher by then, he travelled to Delhi for the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training course on puppetry in education — and came home with a conviction that never left him: a puppet can teach what a lecture cannot.

He served Tamil Nadu's government schools for thirty-one years — assistant teacher from 1978, headmaster from 1988 until retirement in 2010. Through all of it, and through every year since, his evenings, holidays and retirement have belonged to the puppets.

His shows carried awareness where textbooks could not reach: child labour and child rights, women's rights and human rights, the evils of dowry, health and hygiene, rainwater harvesting, afforestation, pollution and plastic, civic values, and above all the importance of education. He performed across Tamil Nadu — district by district, taluk by taluk — alongside voluntary organisations and NGOs, and trained hundreds of teachers and child-care workers to make and use puppets themselves, so the art would not end with him.

He has never charged for a single performance. In an age when traditional arts survive by commodifying themselves, he chose the opposite path: give the art away, freely, for forty-four years, so that it lives.

Dr. N. Dhanaraj at home in Dharapuram with his family, beside the nameboard reading N. Dhanaraj M.A., M.Ed.
At home in Dharapuram — Dr. Dhanaraj with his wife Mrs. Inbaruby Jayakumari and their family, beside the nameboard that has stood at the door through it all: N. Dhanaraj, M.A., M.Ed.

The journey

Four decades on a
string and a lamp

Group photograph of the CCRT Course on Puppetry for Education, New Delhi, June–July 1982
Where it all began — the Centre for Cultural Resources & Training, Course on Puppetry for Education, New Delhi, 15 June to 20 July 1982. Dr. Dhanaraj has kept this photograph for forty-four years.
1951
Born in Dharapuram

Born on 15 November 1951 to Mr. Nesaiah and Mrs. Thayanithi. Schooled in Udumalpet and Dharapuram, then trained as a Secondary Grade Teacher, 1969–71.

1978
A teacher's life begins

Joined Tamil Nadu's government schools as an assistant teacher — the start of thirty-one years of service. Later completed an M.A. in History at Madras University and an M.Ed. at Annamalai University.

1982
Trained at CCRT, New Delhi

Completed the Course on Puppetry for Education at the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, and in the same year established Rainbow Puppetry — the banner under which every show since has travelled. Returned to CCRT for the refresher course in 1984.

1988
National Teacher Award

Honoured by the Government of India for valuable contribution and service to education, and appointed CCRT District Resource Person to carry puppetry into the National Policy of Education at the district level.

1989
Guest of the President

Invited by the Ministry of Defence to the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi, where the President took the salute.

1990s
The village decades

Hundreds of shows across Periyar District and beyond — schools, banks, festivals, NSS camps, women's guilds and rural development projects. Themes ranged from Ashoka's transformation to AIDS awareness and child labour, and he trained teachers and child-care workers across South India to carry the art forward.

2007
Silver Jubilee

Rainbow Puppetry marked twenty-five years — a commemorative silver jubilee of the work from 1982 to 2007. The golden jubilee now approaches in 2032.

2008
State's best teacher

Received the Dr. Radhakrishnan Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu, and the Rotary Vocational Excellence Award in the same year.

2010
Retirement — and a second career

Retired after thirty-one years as teacher and headmaster. The puppets, till then an evening's calling, became his full-time life.

2011
Eddy Trust is founded

Registered at Dharapuram in memory of his son Edwin Paul Nathaniel, the trust became the vehicle for the free shows and for supporting the education of deserving students.

2017
Honorary Doctorate in Puppetry

Conferred an honorary doctorate in Art & Culture with specialisation in Puppetry.

2023
Kalai Mudhumani

Named District Best Puppetry Artist by the Department of Art and Culture, Government of Tamil Nadu, and honoured with the Sevai Chemmal Award by the Tamil Nadu Tamil Sangam Makkal Mandram. The same year, carried his puppets to Manipur — performing at the Samathuva Pongal near the Moreh border, organised through the Tiruppur Tamil Sangam.

2025
Carrying Tamil heritage abroad

Performed internationally in Siem Reap, Cambodia, at the 1000th anniversary commemoration of Emperor Rajendra Chola's conquest of Kadaram.

Today
The work continues

Still performing, still teaching the next generation, still refusing to let a thousand-year-old art die. Recommended for the Padma Shri, 2027.

Forty-four years

A thousand hands, one lamp,
and a story that never dims.

Every performance built from leather, light and patience — an art carried, quite literally, by hand.

Recognition

Honoured by the nation,
the state, and the people

Four decades of recognition — from New Delhi to the villages of Tamil Nadu.

1988 National Teacher AwardGovernment of India, New Delhi National
1989 District Puppetry Resource PersonCCRT, New Delhi National
2008 Dr. Radhakrishnan Award — State Best TeacherGovernment of Tamil Nadu State
2008 Vocational Excellence AwardRotary International Civic
2017 Honorary Doctorate in PuppetryArt & Culture, Honoris Causa Doctorate
2023 Kalai Mudhumani — District Best Puppetry ArtistDept. of Art & Culture, Govt. of Tamil Nadu State
2023 Sevai Chemmal AwardTamil Nadu Tamil Sangam Makkal Mandram Community
— Paul Harris FellowThe Rotary Foundation of Rotary International International

Since 1982

Rainbow Puppetry

One man, one troupe name, forty-four years — now marching towards its golden jubilee.

Established
1982, the year of the CCRT training — maintained by Dr. Dhanaraj ever since
Performances
2,000+ shows at local, taluk, district, state, national and international levels
Silver Jubilee
Celebrated in 2007 — the golden jubilee arrives in 2032
Cost to audiences
Always free — the shows are run through Eddy Trust, Dharapuram

Every show carries a message

Child rights Women's rights Human rights Civil rights Child labour Historical characters Environmental protection Afforestation Rainwater harvesting Pollution control Adult education Against untouchability Government schemes Road safety

Rainbow Puppetry · since 1982

Give the art away, freely —
so that it lives.

Two thousand shows, not one of them for a fee. This is what forty-four years of devotion looks like.

In their words

What four decades of
audiences have said

He has never commodified this rare folk art; instead, he has focused entirely on passing this knowledge to the younger generation to protect it from extinction.
CA P. Jayakumar · Padma Award recommendation, 2026
He is highly proficient in his skill and efficient in transferring the same to others — an asset to society in preserving and promoting its traditional ways of communication at the grass-root level.
Church of South India Council for Child Care · 1993
Interesting and thought-provoking. It can be used as an effective mode of teaching.
A verdict repeated by headmasters across Tamil Nadu, 1982–present

The trust behind the shows

Eddy Trust, Dharapuram

A registered charitable trust · Regd. No. 12/W/0042258 · Established 2011

The trust is named in loving memory of Edwin Paul Nathaniel — Dr. Dhanaraj's son, who was lost in an accident in the river Amaravathy. His name now travels with every free show, and with every student the trust helps to study.

Registered on 10 October 2011 at Dharapuram, Eddy Trust supports the educational needs of deserving school and college students, has provided provisions to Lister Home, Dharapuram, and carries Rainbow Puppetry's performances to audiences entirely free of cost.

Email — eddytrust@gmail.com
Phone — +91 94425 72270
Board of Trustees
Dr. N. DhanarajPresident
Mrs. Inbaruby JayakumariTreasurer
Mr. Sam JebakumarSecretary
Mr. Y. James KarunakaranTrustee
Mr. StephenTrustee
Mr. DennisrajTrustee
Mr. J. NelsonTrustee

The People's Padma

Forty-four years of giving
an art form its breath

Dr. N. Dhanaraj has been recommended for the Padma Shri 2027 in recognition of his lifelong, selfless preservation of Thol Bommalattam. Enquiries and goodwill reach him through Eddy Trust, Dharapuram.