This group of amateur actors comprises people from different walks of life — homemakers, teachers, agriculturists, and even a town panchayat president. But they have come together for a common cause: to stage a play to raise funds for a school that provides education to children from the poorer sections of society. The group will stage Karna , a play scripted by C.R. Simha and directed by eminent theatre artiste Ramesh Begar, at Ravindra Kalakshetra here on December 22. Gochuvalli Satish, advocate and secretary of the school committee, told The Hindu that Janan Bharathi Vidya Kendra in Sringeri is an offshoot of Prabodhini Shishumandira, which had been providing pre-primary education for the last four decades. Started in 2007, the school has around 210 students studying up to class 6.
Majority of them are children of labourers and autorickshaw drivers, he said.
While no donation is collected from parents, Rs. 2,500 a year is collected to pay teachers’ salaries.
The entire infrastructure of the school, including the building, has been created through donations, he said. The managing committee now aims to create a fund to pay teachers’ salaries since the fee collected was not sufficient, Mr. Satish said.
He that Karna had been staged five times by the same group in Sringeri, Chikmaglur and other places, earning accolades from the audience. The play revolves around the birth of Karna, his upbringing by his adoptive mother, his education under Parashurama, his association with Duryodhana, and his death.
Tickets
Tickets are priced at Rs. 5,000 (entry for two), Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 500 (entry for one), he said. Call 9448530425 or 9448530430 for details.
