It was last year that Chalees Varsha Fulla Rook, the ‘Konkini poomaram’ song, grabbed the headlines. The Konkani version of the hit song from Kalidas Jayaram’s movie Poomaram was a YouTube hit and as the makers wished, helped propagate Konkani language among youngsters.
The success of the video song has persuaded a group of youngsters, under the banner of Kerala Konkani Cultural Fort, to come up with a new endeavour – A Konkani play titled Rao Mammale Vohran.
Elaborating about the play and thought behind it, Chandrababu Shetty, a Crime Branch officer who works hard towards the revival of Konkani language, says, “The overwhelming success of our first video song opened before us avenues to bring back the lost sheen of Konkani language, which, despite being the second most spoken language in Kochi, is disappearing fast.” The play, which is being a first-of-its-kind performance in Kochi before the public, is a dedication to the Konkani-speaking community. Says Chandrababu, “Konkani plays are usually restricted to temples frequented by the community and rarely do we have audience from other communities. However, Rao Mammale Vohran will be staged at Changampuzha Park, Edappally, before everyone.”
Quite hopeful about the reception, he says, “People are always open to experiment with creativity for which language is no barrier. The performances in different languages as part of the Kochi Muziris Biennale itself are the testimony. We have already received the invitation from five places to perform the drama. This is indeed heart-warming,” adds Shetty, who directs and scripts the play.
Rao Mammale Vohran is an adaptation of the famous Malayalam play Mathayiyude Maranam and deals with various facets of a typical Konkani family – the orthodox rituals, prejudices, attitude of modern society towards these practices and solutions.
The play has Konkani songs and humorous instances, making it appealing to the audience. “The sets, lighting and sound technology are kept minimal. The aim of the play is to make an impact among the audience,” he stresses.
A contemporary modern play, Rao Mammale Vohran will be staged at 6.30 pm on Saturday.
