Mangalore: 'Rum Pum Po' children's theatre fest by WKC on Oct 16, 17

Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
With Inputs from Media Release

Mangalore, Oct 13: World Konkani Centre (WKC), Mangalore will organize a two-day Konkani children's theatre festival ‘Rum Pum Po-2013’ on Wednesday October 16 and Thursday October 17 at 5.30 pm at Town Hall here with an aim to revitalize Konkani folktales.

Addressing a press meet here on Tuesday October 15, assistant director of WKC Gurudath Baliga said that the Festival will showcase rich folktale tradition of Konkani speaking communities. Altogether seven children's dramas of 30 minutes duration each will be presented in the festival, by children's groups from seven distinct Konkani speaking communities in their respective dialects of Konkani language.

The organization of this festival is in true spirit of the motto of World Konkani Centre, 'Integration through Language'. It is under this motto the entire festival has been planned in a participative method. Elders from different Konkani speaking communities participated in a folktale script workshop conducted by World Konkani Centre in the month of September. A set of seven stories were selected from various communities and the members of the respective communities were given a framework to write theatre scripts based on these folktales. These seven scripts were further produced for the stage by eminent associate directors in theatre workshops held at seven different locations in coastal Karnataka from October 10 to October 15, he said.

Eminent theatre personality Jagan Pawar Bekal is the principal director of the Festival.

The plays to be staged during the two-day Festival are:

October 16

‘Dharyachi Maya’ (Witch of the Sea), based on a Konkani folk tale from the Konkani Kharvi community children’s group All  India Konkani Kharvi Mahajan Sabha.  The script and direction is by Vinod Gangolli and group manager is Purushottam  Arkati.
 
‘Chithal Thondacho Ghov’ (Groom with a Deer Face), based on a Konkani folk tale from Kudal Deshkar community children’s group Shri Poornananda Seva Prathistan, Mangalore. The direction is by Shridhar Achar, script is by Prashanth Prabhu and Geetha Ratnakar, and group manager is Sanjiv Samanth.

‘Ajyapachi Mudhi’ (A Miraculous Ring), based on a Konkani folk tale from the Roman Catholic community by Amritha Social Trust, Shaktinagar. The play is directed by Gopalkrishna K, script is by Joy Nelson Monteiro and group manager is Prameela Mendonca.

October 17

‘Vaag Devachi Khatha’ (Story of the Tiger God), based on a Konkani folk tale from Kudubi community children by Kudubi Samajodharaka Sangha, Altaru-Yadtady. Direction is by Rajesh Kunder, script is by Surya Naik, and group manager is Narayan Naik.

‘Bhangrache Kes’ (Golden Hair) by Bhalavalikar RSB community children’s group  Shri Durga Mahila Mandali, Manchi. Direction is by Shivagiri Kalladka, script is by Shoba N, and group manager is Dr Varija N.

‘Manthu and Rakshini’ (Uncle and the Ogress) play from Chaptekar Saraswat community children’s group Chaptekar Saraswath Seva Samaj, Mangalore. The play is directed by Prakash Naik, script is by Chidananda Nayak, and group manager is Vasudev Nayak.

‘Navarangi Fool’ (Nine-coloured Flower) play by GSB community children’s group Sadhana Balaga, Mangalore. The play is directed by Sudananda Suvarna, script by Vasudha P Shenoy, and group manager is Prakash Shenoy U.

Vishwa Konkani children's theatre group was initiated in the year 2010 by World Konkani Centre, with the very objective of revitalizing Konkani folktales. It has successfully produced three productions in the last three years. The group has successfully conducted two tours to take children's theatre to the Konkani people of the coast and other cities of southern India. These dramas have also been recorded by television channels like DD Chandana etc and telecasted several times during the past three years. It is heartening to note that with these efforts, two fascinating Konkani folktales have been revitalized in the minds of Konkani people of the current generations.

It is estimated that about 43 different dialects are being spoken by Konkani people in coastal Karnataka. These dialects are from different socio-cultural denominations and contain a very rich cultural and folk heritage. It is very important to bring together folktales from different dialect groups of Konkani people, transform them into theatrical forms and stage them in several places in its original dialects so as to retain the flavour of distinct dialects. It is with this view the Vishwa Konkani Children Theatre Festival – 2013 is being organized.

President World Konkani Centre Basti Vaman Shenoy, poet Melvyn Rodrigues and coordinator of the Festival Prakash Shenoy were present.