For years, they have sat at the back rows in classes, hardly ever getting any attention from their teachers. When the attention came from their fellow students, it often came as taunts about their caste. Many of them lacked the basic learning skills even when they reached high school. All that has changed, five years after ‘Gothrathalam,’ an alternative school which functions on weekends, was set up at Ravi Nagar Colony at Chavadi in Kanjiramkulam, near the coast. Now, they are in the spotlight, literally.
A group of students from the colony are now getting ready to stage the play ‘Bhranth Kali,’ at Ganesham in Thycaud later this week. Syam Raji, who has directed the play, says that it took a lot of effort over several months to shape the performances.
“When M.R. Mini and Sudhi Nammayan set up ‘Gothrathalam,’ it began as a learning support initiative. The children would come in during the evenings or weekends. We would make them draw, write, dance, sing, debate on current topics or do any activity which they found interesting. It was an attempt at bringing out the innate talents in them and giving them proper attention. The idea of the play evolved two years back, when we realised that we could channel their talents for a project,” says Syam.
Tale of the fox
The play is a commentary on contemporary politics, based on the old story of the fox that divides a group of goats, makes them fight each other and drinks their blood. The young actors were initially given an assignment to study the behaviour of goats and to pick up their movements, to be replicated on stage.
“For one month, we had rehearsal camps near the beach. Then we took them to the ‘Kanavu’ alternative school in Wayanad, where we had rehearsal for one more month. The children made two songs too for the play. The language that they speak in the play is pure gibberish, since they are playing animals. We staged the play for the first time last year as part of a drama competition, where it won the awards for the best play and the best director. But, after that, we have been unable to stage it anywhere else due to lack of funds. After a lot of struggle, we are now doing a public performance for the first time,” says Syam.
The play will be staged at Ganesham at 6.45 p.m. on May 24 and 25.
