Karnataka - Mangalore   

Agitation through artistic activism

Appealing: A scene from the street play to create awareness on problems related to train service being enacted at Bunder in Mangalore on Saturday,

MANGALORE: Throughout history, the success of civil protest has relied heavily on the creative ability of the agitators and their capacity to channel their angst towards finding new ways of showing their dissent.

In the last few months, dozens of organisations have sprouted in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts demanding better railway connectivity for the region. Each has evolved its own strategy for protest and for creating public awareness — from “rail roko” agitations, demonstrations and letter campaigns to public interest litigation.

An untitled street play has just entered the protest arena and is adding the much needed artistic touch to the awareness and agitation campaigns. The play is perforated with satire and drips with sarcasm as it goes about demolishing the reputations of administrators, irrespective of their political affiliations, and pokes fun at the bureaucracy that surrounds the Mangalore-Bangalore passenger train project.

The efficacy of the medium was on full display at one of their performances in the Bunder area here on Saturday afternoon as fisherfolk and workers shoved and jostled for a better view of the show. Even as the sun blazed down mercilessly, the crowd stayed put. After the play was over, scores of people queued up to register their names and contact details with the troupe, which is on a mission to garner public support for the cause. The troupe, which has been put together by “Mangalore Railway Abhivrudhi Kriya Samiti”, on Saturday completed its third gruelling day of travelling through the length and breadth of the region. The message seems to be simple: “Help us to help you”. The troupe is trying to develop a coordination team by identifying local liaison people in every area to synchronise the agitations, the actors say.

Speaking to The Hindu after one of their performances, the leader of the troupe, Manjuraj Kavoor, said, “We never imagined that we would get this kind of appreciation and support. In just three days, close to 1,000 common people have pledged their support and registered their names with us”.

The eight-member troupe of amateur actors and their rawness shows in their performances. But to judge them purely on the basis of the quality of performance would be unfair. Besides, if the discerning crowds are anything to go by, they are more than happy with this unexpected nugget of entertainment that catches them right at their doorstep.

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