Paper Title
Elements of the Carnivalesque: The Shadow Puppetry Tradition of Andhra Pradesh

Abstract
The paper presents the study of folk humour in the performatory oral tradition of Shadow Puppetry of Andhra Pradesh, India. The paper is based on the recording of a shadow puppetry show of Sundarakanda of the Telugu Ranganatha Ramayanamu. The paper explores only the carnivalesque environment that folk humour brings to the epic theme of the Ramayana and studies the grammar of shadow puppetry which localises classical themes like the Ramayana in an entirely unsophisticated and uncouth canivalesque environment. This, indeed is the credit of such street performances like shadow which release these classical themes from their pious setting. Keywords: Shadow Puppetry, Folk Humour, Elements of the Carnivalesque, Street Performances