I tried to salvage the missing edit, without any luck. After a few errands, I went and met Sadar sahib to meet some more puppeteers. We had planned to go to an area near the bypass, across from a hospital, but there had been a death in the family the day before, so we visited people in Sadar’s neighborhood instead.
I spoke to several puppeteers, and made recording amid the chaos of children, livestock and running around. Some people were skilled puppeteers, others just kind of showed up to get paid. This was challenging. It really does no good to document people who aren’t very good at their skill, and nor would I plan on working with them. It was difficult to control that situation.
The puppets vary in quality, size and beauty, but they are the same set of core characters and they all perform the same bits of one larger performance. The quality of narration and music varies as well. I was chiefly concerned with the quality of performance with the puppets. I was not concerned whether the puppet was beautifully painted, or severely aged with peeling paint. It was all about the movement.
It’s tiring to go to all these places, talk to so many people and then make the recordings, but I appreciate that I could even be there thanks to Sadar sahib. I went home tired and treated myself to a kulfi ice cream shake before beginning the arduous task of reediting.