Uraya Katukmanna lies along the edge of Silent Valley. Body-penetrating chill accompanied by eloquent silence. Murugan’s father Rankan Muppan told us that he does not remember the days when it rained during the month of Karkitaka. We mean the 13 tribal artistes of Thump’s drama group and myself. After about 20 years I came to Katukmanna. Even after 20 years, Kurumba Ooraya Katukmanna has not undergone any major changes. It seems like yesterday that we used to light torches in the evenings and talk in the courtyard at night. Mustard soil has not changed much except that it now has the white light of solar lights. Pere and Devil’s rhythm rang through the air, breaking the silence. In the stillness of the dusk, the beauty of its sound intoxicated with an indescribable joy.
“Grow up and study kids
Get a good pass and advance
Nivari good study pass panni advance
Do you want to study as well as Petavar Manas?
Niviri Sarkar will be good
If Naviri Sarkar works, it will be good
Shall we have a Wanda Marant walk in the evening?
Beit Biranti, do we want to walk?
Niviri Otingi is going to happen”
The drama song has already started. And oral songs sung about prosperity in the villages. Accompanied by Pere and Devil, the hearts are beating. Oral song habits hit Silent Valley Canyons and come back again. With the performance at Katukmanna, the journey of the Natakvandi, which has been traveling from town to town for the past 40 days, is coming to an end. Can’t take photos because it’s night. If the charge of the mobile phone is over.
In February 2013, the baby of Kumar-Lakshmi couple of Attappadi Palur ur passed away at the Anakatti Bathani Hospital. Kumar, who is also a Vandari of Ur, is an active activist of Thambi, a tribal group. The wound caused by the child’s death continues like a shadow in the lives of Kumar and Lakshmi even today. In June of the same year, the child of the Udayan-Revathi couple of Chittoor Ur died in the Coimbatore Medical College. Udayan and Revathi are active activists of Thamp.
Lakshmi Unnikrishnan, a volunteer, reported the death of the babies in Kadampara, theke, during the weekly meeting held at the Kottathara office of Thamp.
‘Thump’ started the investigation into infant deaths by taking upon himself the above-mentioned infant deaths and pains. That’s how infant mortality became news not only in Kerala but also in the whole world.
Even before then, such deaths were commonplace, in tribal villages and hospital records. He didn’t take it too seriously.
With the infant mortality debate, came central and state government intervention. Various projects came up. It is a fact worth mentioning that infant mortality has been reduced in the last 10 years. But death still happens. The health status of tribal children and mothers is poor. Anemia haunts them. Lack of government schemes, laws and funds is not the main challenge facing tribal development – empowerment. It is there that the “Namth Kanav” theatrical carriage journey from Uro to Uru with the collaboration of ‘Thump’ UNICEF, which mobilized the tribal artists of Attapadi, becomes a unique experience.
Malnutrition and malnutrition
In ‘Namth Kanav’, the main characters are Udayan and Revathi, who have experienced the pain of their baby’s separation and with the support of Ur, health workers and organization workers, have re-entered the family life. And their six-year-old son named Chellan. A boy who lost his own child and Lakshmi who had to experience the death of children in her relatives’ houses in Kadampara firsthand, are not acting but living in Namth Kanavi. They say that we should wake up by removing the burden of our own experiences. Not the abundance of funds, but the foundation of tribal empowerment. If the tribal people become aware of their rights, then their problems will be solved. It discusses the play. When the plans, programs and laws implemented by the government are presented in their own language accompanied by tribal art forms and mixed with myths, the audience in Ur are not only spectators, but they can be seen forming themselves in Ur as characters in drama and life.
Winged dreams
So a group of young tribal artists of Attapadi are weaving colorful, winged new dreams. The 14-member drama troupe led by Ramu, a tribal leader, is not only dreaming, but also thinking about how to implement it in practical life. The play is being staged in various villages of Attapadi under Thampil (Center for Tribal Education, Development and Research), a tribal association working towards the comprehensive empowerment of the tribal region in Kerala. The play discusses how to combat the Animaya-malnutrition that has conquered the Attappadi villages at the village level. Financial support is provided by UNICEF.
Namth Kanav = Maruwa – Maruvarcha
The dream of the clown of Harichandrakooth, which was an indispensable part of Attappadi villages in the past, has been presented in a new guise in Namth Kanava. The play also discusses the vigilance that tribal life should take with the government and public consciousness. The play asks itself why many calamities are coming to us which were not there in the past. Since 2012, ‘Namth Kanav’ Natakvandi has become a symbol of infant mortality, malnutrition and anemia in Attapadi.
From the hearth of child death, those who have been pushed to family life with the support of ur, with the systematic guidance of health workers, and those who have worked till date to remove the depression of Attapadi ur from the government and public consciousness, when they are the characters, when they become the organizers, the play becomes a silver light to ur life. That light gives Attappadi a new dream and vision.
Over the last 30 years of close contact and interaction with Uru life has helped Thump to look at issues through the lens of their myths and rituals. Natakvandi, which has now covered 109 villages in Sholayur, Agali and Putur panchayats, will stop its journey in the coming days with a performance in the far-off villages of Melethudukki, Nathutudukki, Katukmanna and Anavai.
A graduate of the School of Drama from the Attappadi tribal community, M. Directed by Kuppuswamy. Playwright Ratheesh O.L.H. Balan Tullakkara lends melody to the lyrics of Murugan Samparkod. Art direction by Adi, Tejas, K.N. Ramesh, K.A. Ramu, Udayakumar B., Revathi Udayakumar, Vinod, Maruthan, Mathivarnnan, Lakshmi Unnikrishnan, Radhamani and Balan Kullakara are playing the role. Thumb Convener K.A. Ramu and Saneesh lead the drama journey.
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Thump, the drama is being presented in its own language on the topic of how to solve the malnutrition in Attapadi. The organizers are also preparing a review report on how much impact the play has had on the community.
(Gothrabhumi newspaper editor and “Thumb”
Rajendra Prasad
(The author is also the Chairman of the Center for Tribal Education Development and Research).