It is not often that the activities of panchayats are seen beyond their limited boundaries, but a novel, student-centred initiative of the Pullampara grama panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram is spreading its wings far and wide.
‘Changathi’, a children’s theatre group formed by the panchayat as part of its annual projects last year, is having a successful run with over 30 performances of its 75 minute-long play in venues ranging from schools and government events to temple festivals.
“Changathi is an ongoing project for children in the panchayat. In the first year, we began the project with a travelling library, while in the second year, we distributed kits consisting of board games and Rubik’s cube to all lower primary and upper primary students in the panchayat. In 2022-23, we decided to have a docudrama stringing together three issues of contemporary and historical importance. The aim is not just to nurture artistic talents in students, but also to use their talents to raise awareness among the larger public,” says Pullampara grama panchayat president P.V. Rajesh.
Written by A. Aboobacker of the Pookkad Kalalayam in Kozhikode and directed by theatre director Manoj Narayanan, the docudrama has three segments. While Valicheriyaline Valicheriyam deals with the issue of waste management, Makkal Evidekka highlights issues related to drug addiction and Swathanthrya Samara Charithrathile Kandathum Kaanathathumaaya Edukal is a historical play on the country’s freedom struggle and the roles played by the known and unknown freedom fighters, including Madanlal Dingra, Vaikom Abdul Khader and Suniti Choudhury.
“When the panchayat approached me, I was interested in taking up because I had heard about their novel projects like the digital literacy campaign. The challenge was to write the drama about these weighty issues in a way that appeals to children. We had to evolve new methods, rather than follow the old model of street plays, which led us to the docudrama format. It helped that we had big, experienced names to direct and score the music for the play. The panchayat authorities had extended their full support for the play, staying with us for the long rehearsal sessions. The first performance in the panchayat itself was successful with a large crowd attending. It is heartening to see that they did not stop with the one performance and have taken it to so many venues, including festivals where large number of people gather, thus taking these ideas to more people,” says Mr. Aboobacker.
The drama team consists of 22 students of ages 6 to 14. Mr. Rajesh says that the plan is to turn the drama group into a permanent set up, with more students joining in the future.
