Good response to KSSP ‘jatha'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:09/12/2011--- For a new Kerala: Members of the Kerala Shasthra Sahithya Parishad's 'Sasthra Kala Jatha' performing at the Government Law College in the State capital on Friday as part of KSSP's 'Venam Mattoru Keralam' campaign.....................Photo:S.Gopakumar.

The street theatre initiative of the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP), part of its two-year ‘Venam Mattoru Keralam' campaign (Needed, another Kerala), is increasingly becoming a hit across the State.

The street theatre performances, titled ‘Sasthra Kala Jatha,' reached Thiruvananthapuram after touring Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts over the last few weeks. The jatha traces Kerala's history over the last 100 years and highlights the complexities of contemporary life in the State. It ends by hinting at the scary destinations where the State might end up if there is no search for sustainable and people-centric alternatives.

With lithe movements, the actors tell the tale of contemporary Malayali society, which has several quantitative figures to boast of, but is increasingly losing several of the achievements of the past. The widening gap between the rich and poor, the pauperisation of the majority, and the rampant exploitation of natural resources all figure in their narrative.

The jatha, dedicated to the memory of poet Mullanezhi, who died recently, will conclude in Alappuzha on December 18.