The project is about understanding what is happening to some traditions practiced in rural areas of India in this an age where ‘development’ often assumes an aggressive approach. This will be done through the context of Chadar Badar- a puppetry craft of the Santals. The project began with wanting to understand reasons for its decline, its relevance in the current times and the desire to preserve or recover this practice. Questions that arose after understanding a field trip led to a closer scrutiny of assumptions underlaying the urge to ‘preserve’ this tradition. The project seeks to express dilemmas faced both personally and collectively as our societies attempt development. This will be done in the form of a picture book.