Events at Manaveeyam Veedhi are usually marked by celebration and mirth, more so when the anniversary celebrations happen.
But on Sunday, when the Manaveeyam street collective and others got together to observe the 17th anniversary of the cultural corridor, the mood was sombre. On their hands were tied purple ribbons, the colour of the dress worn by the eight-year old in Kathua, when she was subjected to untold cruelty for over a week.
Marking a break from the annual tradition of music, dance and fun, this get-together was one of solidarity, of introspection, and of protest. At the middle of the corridor was a ‘tree’ painted white, on which ‘leaves’ were added as the evening progressed. The leaves had messages written by those who had gathered here, most of them reactions to the horrific events at Kathua. The messages ranged from a powerful ‘STOP!’ to longer ones, filled with anger and despair.
Expression through art
To the two sides of the ‘tree’ stretched a white canvas, almost taking up the entire Manaveeyam Veedhi. Artists, activists, students, children and passers-by joined together in expressing their feelings through art. Red and black were the prominent colours on the canvas, reflecting the current mood. Later in the evening, lamps were lit all around the canvas. At another end of the street was a wall created with wooden boxes stacked up, on which images of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, scholars Govind Pansare, M.M. Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh were fixed. One slot was left free for people to pose for selfies, above the caption of ‘We are all at gunpoint’.
The slogan of the get-together was ‘Kaanuka, Kelkukka, Parayuka’ (See, listen, say), reworking the old message of the three wise monkeys. The theme of the day was to spread the idea of peaceful coexistence. A drama by Arangottukara Padashala from Shoranur was staged. Screening of songs and films of resistance from other parts of the world were also organised.
Along with the Manaveeyam Street Cultural Collective, a few other organisations including Tree walk, Theeradesha Mahila Vedi, Idam, Humans, Care others too, and Federation of the Blind were part of the evening.
