A convention of Dalits, Adivasis and other marginalised sections of society to be held at Erumely in Kottayam district on December 16 has a slew of supporters among the artists fraternity.
Around 20 artists have expressed their solidarity with the Villuvandi Yatra to Erumely through an open canvas in the heart of the city on Wednesday.
Artist K. Prabhakaran was the first to render his thoughts on the canvas stretched across the compound wall of the Sports Council office at Mananchira.
Prominent artists such as Kabitha Mukhopadhyaya, Ganesh Chembayil, Santha, Majni, G.S. Geetha, Shafeeque Punathil and Johns Mathew joined him.
The Villuvandi is like a bullock cart.
But here it is a motor vehicle, named so to commemorate the historic Villuvandi (ox wagon) of social reformer Ayyankali during his efforts to emancipate the Dalits in the State.
The convention at Erumely is being organised by the Sabarimala Adivasi Rights Restoration Committee demanding that the tantris at the Sabarimala temple step down and hand over the temple to Adivasis. Left wing intellectuals and Dalit movements in the State have offered support to the convention demanding that gender equality be established at Sabrimala.
On December 16
The Villuvandi will reach Erumely on December 16. The vehicles will start from the memorials of Ayyankali and Sahodaran Ayyappan and from Vaikom, known for the Vaikom Satyagraha, besides all district headquarters.
The Villuvandi that starts from Kozhikode on Thursday is led by Dalit activists O.P. Ravindran and Ajay Ghosh.
