“ Does God have any religion?” “ Why are innocent people forced to undergo endless sufferings?” These are the pertinent questions raised and discussed in the socio-political dance drama ‘Sameerayude Kuthirakal’ (Sameera’s horses). Brought out by a group of students of St.Joseph’s Anglo Indian Girls’ Higher Secondary School under the aegis of Kozhikode-based theatre group Chilanka floating theatre, the play delves into the brutal gang-rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua.
The script of the play has been accepted for the Children’s Theatre Festival conducted yearly in November by the National School of Drama (NSD). “ We will now be sending a video of the play for the next round of selection,” said the drama director Bichoos Chilanka. The 45- minute long Malayalam play, the practice for which commenced in July, consists of 10 students of classes VII, IX and X. “ We wanted to bring out an issue that had a nation-wide important and revolved around topics that were relevant in the present day.That was how we decided on the Kathua -rape case, " he said.
The play opens with two character dresses as horses, waiting near the heaven’s gate to meet God. They question God on his religion and why he is turning a blind eye towards the sufferings of people.The idea that children are the ones mostly affected by the atrocities carried out in the name of religion and God, is also brought out through ‘Sameerayude Kuthirakal’. The drama closes with the horses going in search of the girl and God trying to find the right place to plant Sameera’s favourite sunflower saplings. " We hope that the play gets shortlisted and we will be able to perform it for the fest, " added the director.
The Chilanka floating theatre has also brought out the popular plays ‘Neelakkoduveli Pookkunna Gramathil’ and ‘Sada-Charam’.
