Alappad is a quiet little village nestling amidst lush stretches of Kole paddy fields in Thrissur district. Located within a politically active region in Thrissur, Alappad has a legacy of intense social and cultural activism.
Around three decades ago, in 1986 to be precise, the village became the venue for an interesting act of resistance for upholding the freedom of expression. It is the story of a play that was never played. It is the story of Kurisinte Vazhi , (Way of the Cross) a play that was to be staged along the distance of nine km from Alappad to Thriprayar, situated along NH-17.
The play was conceptualised by the late theatre activist Jos Chirammal, who had played a significant role in taking serious theatre into villages of Kerala. He had envisioned this venture as a token of protest against the then State Government’s move to ban Christhuvinte Aaram Thirumurivu , (The Sixth Sacred Wound of Christ), a play written and directed by P.M. Antony, another maverick theatre activist of the 80s. Antony’s play was inspired by none other than Nikos Kazantzakis, the iconoclastic Greek novelist of The Last Temptation of Jesus Christ .
As Antony got ready to stage his play under the banner of his group, Suryakanthi Theatres based in Alappuzha, the then UDF-led State Government, ordered the police to confiscate the copies of the play and arrest the playwright. However, armed with a High Court order, Antony managed to stage the play at Alappuzha, Kollam and Kodungallur. But, the play could not be staged in Thrissur owing to massive protests.
Jos Chirammal, as his contribution to the agitation, decided to create this play, to be staged over nine km, referring to the Way of the Cross, Jesus’ journey to Calvary carrying the Cross. Moreover, like the 14 stations of the Cross, the theatrical procession was also to have 14 stops along the way, where short performances referring to various political issues in the State would take place.
Many cultural organisations from Alappad and nearby villages and towns had offered to associate with the performance.
On the appointed day, November 17, 1986 a huge crowd had turned out at Alappad. A heavy police force was also present.
The moment the play started with a team of musicians, the police ordered the play to be stopped and arrested the actors.
Recently, it was the Jos Chirammal Memorial Samithi, during its attempts to document Chirammal’s life, that inspired the public of Alappad to join their hands once more in memory of this historical event. The ‘Avishkara Swathanthya Ghoshayathra’ (Procession for freedom of expression) brought together a collective of artistes, political activists and intelligentsia to pay tribute to Jos Chirammal and to reaffirm the ongoing struggle against Fascist forces.
The event was flagged off by Probir Guha, a veteran theatre person from West Bengal and a close associate of Chirammal. The procession moved on from Alappad to Thriprayar, interwoven with music and theatre performances.
Folk songs presented by Jana Ranga Vedi, Thrissur
Folk music group Jananayana presented folk songs. Karthikeyan Engandiyoor, a local artist, made a drawing of Gauri Lankesh during the time he took to complete the singing of a song. ‘Sookshma Charcha,’ one of the Theatre Sketches, the short plays that were designed by Chirammal, was performed.
The Kunnamkulam – Guruvayoor Regional Committee of NATAK, the Network of Artistic Theatre Activists Kerala, the platform for theatre persons in the State, presented two short plays – Navadakku and Kuppayam . The concluding session was at Thriprayar.
