As bikes, cars and autos zipped on the road off the edge of the Mandaveli MRTS station, a Tamil play unfolded at a street corner of Visalakhi Thottam which has now become a public space for political meetings, protests and cultural events.
On January 2 evening, the Mylapore area committee of the CPI (M) party and Chennai Kalai Kuzhu, a theatre group, presented two plays – “Amma” and “Idam” – to celebrate the memory of late Safdar Hashmi, well-known Left playwright, artiste and street theatre legend.
Amma is a short biographical sketch on K.P.Janaki-ammal who was then a popular stage artiste in the 1930s. She went on to become the leader of the Congress party and later joined the Communist party. She was sentenced by the British govt and the post- Independence Congress government for several years. She was also the first woman in South India who was booked under the National Security Act She was also a member of the legislative assembly of Tamil Nadu.
“Idam” is a play based on “Inclusion”
A goodly crowd watched the plays in the open air.
The director of the two plays, Pralayan said that as the finale of the second play unfolded, some members of the audience came up on stage and danced to express themselves.
