Theatre with morals
C. SURESH KUMAR
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Nishumbita presented plays which raised hard-hitting questions.
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Nishumbita ballet and theatre grouppresented Panchatantra stories in English and a one act play on child labour titled Sankellu in Telugu, in association with Sri Aurbindo International school at Ravindra Bharati on July 4.
The motto behind the workshop was to encourage theatre activity but the sad depiction of the Panchatantra stories by the group was shoddy and lacked coordination.
The stories of Panchatantra dating back to 300 BC, has been told and retold for many years. Anyone presenting the same has to be clear in diction and continuity. There was lot of confusion in the continuity and the dialogues were not clear, with some squeaky voice over. The background music was also sloppy and inaudible. The only saving grace was the colourful attire and the children who looked cute in their costumes.
The play was directed by Ram Mohan Holangudi.
Good presentation
The second play Sankellu about child labour was a superb presentation. Niteesh as Ramu played the role with ease and perfection. Nikhil the other artiste in the play who played the roles of the father, the judge, and journalist as well as the warden showed excellent variation in each role.
The play revolved around a child Ramu who is subject to torture from his father who is a drunkard. The boy runs away from home unable to bear the torture, and lands up in a city where he does menial work to take care of his food and shelter. When the employer notices Ramu teaching other children to read and write, he sacks him.
Finally Ramu lands up in a juvenile house where the warden subjects him to physical and sexual abuse. Being meek, poor and needing shelter he succumbs to the warden’s abuses.
However, when he notices that the warden has set his eye on a new entrant in the juvenile home, he attacks him and kills him. The police arrest him and he is confined to life imprisonment.
A child who is supposed to be in a class room, is today made to work in hotels, construction sites, fireworks units and textile industry etc. Has the child lost his or hers childhood somewhere behind the unending heaps of parental and social desires.
These kinds of tendencies are resulting in the rising numbers of juvenile crimes. Who is responsible? The society?
These and some more hard hitting questions were raised in this play. Back stage support for both the plays was provided by Ajay, Zubair, Charan, Juhi, Krishna Priya, Nikhil and Niteesh. The make up and costumes was done by Charuseela, Vijayalakshmi and Bhavya.
Lights was by Zubairuddin, and the stage manager was Aila Bandagi. This play was also directed by Ram Mohan Holangudi.
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