An initiative of Rangayana directors
The Additional City Civil Sessions Court on the premises of Parappana Agrahara Prison, where the verdict in Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's case would be pronounced
Bengaluru: For 17 years, Hulugappa Kattamani and his wife, Prameela Bengre, both reputed directors from Rangayana in Mysuru, have been working with prison inmates, teaching them about theatre and even staging productions.
This week, they will put up a very special show at Ranga Shankara, comprising 35 prisoners from Parappana Agrahara central prison and the Mysore Central Jail. Jayanth Kaikini’s Jategiruvanu Chandira (an adaptation of Joseph Stein’s Fiddler on the Roof) and H.S. Shivaprakash's Maara Nayaka (Macbeth) will be staged on April 29 and 30 – their first productions in Bengaluru.
“My wife and I have been interacting with prisoners in Mysuru and Bengaluru for 17 years, teaching them yoga, painting and Kolattam, apart from theatre,” said Kattamani.
“We also bring in theatre experts to interact with them.” The troupe has been practising for six months, including music and dance. “Gopal Hosur (IG of Police, Karnataka), has been the backbone of this initiative, and Kamal Pant, the ADGP, has now stepped forward to support us,” Kattamani explained. They have staged four plays in six cities across the state, including in Mysuru and Udupi – although this will be their first time in Bengaluru.
“For the first performance, we had a convoy of 100 policemen accompany 30 prisoners,” he said. “Now, the police trust them, they know that there will be no trouble.”
Art has influenced these prisoners in many ways, Kattimani explains. “We are not merely teaching them theatre we help them learn a way of living. One inmate, for instance, has been very influenced by Gandhi now. The best part is that theatre encourages teamwork. That’s very important for the inmates, because they have their own, very vulnerable world.”
Kattimani said that they try to stage a play at least once a year. After their debut in Bengaluru, the troupe, comprising 35 inmates and about 15 more technicians and musicians, will head off to Mumbai by road. “We will have a special convoy of policemen accompany us on the journey – all thanks to Mr Pant,” he added. “It was his idea to take this troupe across the country.”
Needless to say, there is a certain apprehension among audience, especially the first time they encounter such a performance. “After watching the plays, though, people in Udupi started a card campaign, asking for these prisoners to be released,” he said with a laugh. “It has opened up a new dimension within the public as well.”
Kattimani believes that exposure to the world will only help these people – and he appears to be right, too. “They are like ripe fruits,” he adds, on a philosophical note. “If you let them stay in jail, they will rot.”
( Source : dc )
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