When dreams take a beating
MANU REMAKANTH
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The play by `Chilanka' depicts the evils of child labour and the ills of globalisation.
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Photo: S. Mahinsha
HARD TIMES: `Swapnam swapnabhanguram' depicts the tough lives of street children.
The hall inside the Vylopilly Samskriti Bhavan reverberated with action when a group of children from Kozhikode entertained the audience with a 45-minute play. Organised by Chilanka, a floating theatre group from Kozhikode, the play `Swapnam, Swapnabhanguram' was peformed with élan by the young boys who comprise the troupe.
Scripted by Sunilkumar, secretary of Chilanka, the play depicts the life of street children who do various jobs to earn a living.
Loss of innocence
But they soon fall into hard times and are forced to give away their pet monkey for a few pieces of bread. Evil, portrayed by Anukuttan, tries to rob them of their innocence. It speaks many dialects and comes in different attires. The children try in vain to resist it and in the last scene as the inner curtain parts, we see the children caught in the web of evil.
There are many stories running under the play if you remove the veneer. It is a statement against child labour and though the evils of globalisation is clichéd, it is dished out in a different manner in the play.
The sight of the performers shuttling to and fro from the stage heightens the feel of drama. The background score successfully hides the jerks in between. The song-and-dance act towards the end, as the children are trapped in the web of evil, however, proved a dampener to the show.
Best actor award
Says Anukuttan, who won the best actor award in the Kaniyapuram sub district Kalolsava, about his role in the play, "The play highlights almost all forms of evil we see in daily life." Shafeek, Apsar, Vishnu, Sonu Shahin are the fellow performers in `Swapnam swapnabhanguram.'
`Chilanka,' a floating theatre was conceived and formed in two remote villages in Kozhikode - Kavalumpara and Moruthookara - as like minded people shared their vision of inculcating artistic ideas in children. For the last five years, the members of the theatre have been travelling to different parts of Kerala to showcase the talents of these young performers. Chilanka has 170 students and 12 plays to its credit. The play was directed by Bichoos.
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