The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Dramatic display of their protest

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Friday, May 30, 2008
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Dramatic display of their protest

Special Correspondent

Children protest incarceration of Dr. Binayak Sen

— Photo: K.V.Srinivasan

Drumming up support: Members of Kanchi Makkal Mandram performing in Chennai on Thursday as part of a protest to seek the release of Dr. Binayak Sen.

CHENNAI: Protests from artists are often brushed under the carpet. But when a group of children decided to protest the continued incarceration of Dr. Binayak Sen in a Chhattisgarh prison, the ‘Q’ Branch of the police showed up at the skit they performed.

Organised by the Corporate Accountability Desk, a protest programme was conducted at Elliot’s Beach Road on Thursday, in honour of Dr. Sen’s being conferred the prestigious Dr. Jonathan Mann Award. Played to a small and appreciative audience, the programme started with a ‘Parai’ performance by the Kanchi Makkal Mandram.

Venkat, one of the organisers, referred to ‘parai’ as the “voice of the oppressed.” This was followed by a series of songs against mindless consumerism by the Chennai Kalai Kuzhu.

The grand finale was a skit by children from ’Pudiyador,’ a non-governmental organisation dealing with children’s education on the state of Adivasis in Chhattisgarh.

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