The Collectorate premises here, which witnesses a wide variety of protests by socio-political organisations, saw a unique protest by a male dancer on Tuesday morning.
Jishnu Vijayan, a member of the Samskarika Sahiti from Shoranur, staged a Mohiniyattam performance in front of the Collectorate, inviting the attention of a lot of people. Mr. Jishnu’s protest was against the alleged caste discrimination by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.
Recent incident
R.L.V. Ramakrishnan, classical dancer and younger brother of the late actor Kalabhavan Mani, had attempted suicide a few days ago alleging caste discrimination by the office-bearers of the Sangeetha Nataka Akademi headed by actor K.P.A.C. Lalita.
Mr. Jishnu said that the ignominy suffered by Mr. Ramakrishnan was an insult to Kerala’s cultural sphere.
Inaugurating the programme held under the banner of the Samskara Sahiti, its district chairman Boban Mattumantha demanded that the akademi heal the wound suffered by Kerala by taking appropriate action against those responsible.
“The Akademi’s alleged attempts to shoo away artistes on the basis of caste will ruin the cultural values the State achieved in recent decades. It is an indication of the beginning of the State’s return to cultural casteism,” said Mr. Mattumantha.
‘An insult’
He said the Akademi office-bearers who maintained a cavalier attitude to artistes from lower castes were an insult to the entire State.
Samskara Sahiti leaders Gireesh Nochulli, Rafeek Karalmanna, Ramesh Kannanur, Deepak Kinasseri and Deepam Suresh spoke.
