Thrissur: The most awaited street play at the ITFoK ‘Untouchable I am, I am Rohit Vemula’ was presented at the International Theater Festival of Kerala (ITFoK) on Sunday. The play in Malayalam was based on the suicide of student Rohit Vemula, a research scholar of Hyderabad Central University last year, allegedly due to the discrimination meted out to him by varsity officials. The death of Rohit had led to a widespread agitation across the country and was viewed as an atrocity committed by university officials against a Dalit student. The play is conceived in such a way that Rohit did not commit suicide, but was murdered by the system and society where caste discrimination is still relevant.
The street play which started in front of Indian Coffee House at North Bus Stand, rolled out its scenes at Palace Road, Ramanilayam Government Guest House and on the premises of Sangeetha Nattaka Akademi. Indian plays ‘Out!’ and ‘Charithrapusthak-athilekku Oredu’ were also performed on Sunday. The Chilean play ‘Sari Rosa’ and Italian play ‘Dreams of Dreams’ were also staged. Woman-centric street play from Chile named ‘Sari Rosa’ is inspired by the Gulabi Gang movement that began in Uttar Pradesh in 2006. The play has specific scenes, but no script. It is based on music, gestures and dance and the production had roped in 20 artists from India to perform at the fest.
