Kudumbashree, the successful women empowerment model of Kerala, is on yet another mission for gender justice. It has formed a community theatre to campaign for social justice, equality, and sustainable development.
A team of around 170 Kudumbashree members will perform plays and music-dance programmes as part of the Stree Paksha Kalajatha on various stages across the State for 10 days from March 8, International Women’s Day. They will perform three plays and two dance-music programmes.
“Performers are women who work in fields and do daily wage duties. They don’t have any previous theatre or stage experience. There may not be technical perfection in their performances. But the conviction in the cause of gender justice leads them to stages across the State,” says Sreeja Arangottukara, one of the five trainers. Karivellur Murali, Shylaja Ambu, Rafeeq Mangalassery, and Sudhi Nireeksha are the other trainers.
Final rehearsals of the plays and music-dance programmes are going on at the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), Mulangunnathukavu, Thrissur. In all, 42 master trainers, three from each district, are attending the rehearsal camp.
The kalajatha addresses issues such as dowry, increasing rates of violence, gender discrimination, women’s social status, and equality.
These 42 women, who get trained here, will go to their respective district and train a group of 12 women, says Sindu V., State programme manager of the Kudumbashree gender wing.
“We have a Rangasree group in each district for conducting cultural programmes. Members of the Rangasree group will perform plays and music-dance programmes in the kalajatha in each district,” she says.
After the masters’ training programme at KILA, regional theatre camps will be conducted in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, and Kozhikode from February 28 to March 6.
The kalajatha will kick off from Kozhikode on March 8. In the next 10 days, Kudumbashree workers will stage programmes across the State – five performances in each district.
