Mangalore: Prison inmates on a theatrical journey

By John V. Tauro, Mangalore
Bellevision Media Network

Mangalore, 03 July 2012: IGP of Western Range, Pratap Reddy speaking at the inaugural programme of the project jointly organized by the Department of Karnataka Jails and Sankalpa Mysore “Jailininda Jailige Rangotsava” at the Town Hall in Mangalore said that the stage should provide the the the inmates of the jails  to have a change of heart and enable them to join the main stream of society. He was delivering the presidential address after the inauguration of the four daylong state level theatrical performace ny the inmates of various jails in the state on Monday, July 2,2012.

 

The programme was inaugurated by Ronald Colaco. His son, Nigel Colaco, gave financial  help of rupees eleven lakhs to meritorious children of policemen. Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh expressed his happiness over Colaco’s gesture and recalled that  every Christmas and New Year, Colaco comes to celebrate with the policemen. He also thanked Hoolugappa Kattimani, director of Sankalpa, Mysore for training jail inmates on theatre and giving them an opportunity to manifest their talents and abilities.

 

 

 

Following the inaugural function the  inmates of Mysore central jail staged William Shakespeare’s classic play ’King Lear’ in Kannada. All the actors performed very well and did justice to the classic play.

 

The play ‘King Lear’ was part of the four-day ’By the Prisoners, for the Prisoners’ state-level theatrical performance for under trials in central jails. On Tuesday July 3, inmates of Bangalore central prison will stage ’Kattale Daari Doora’, followed by ’Shivaratri by Belagavi central jail the next day and ’Gokakarnada Gowda Shani’ by Dharwad jail undertrials on the concluding day.

 

Hoolugappa Kattimani who directed and prepared the Mysore jail prisoners to perform  ’King Lear’ said that the purpose behind choosing the inmates and under trials to act in plays was to bring about a change of heart and mind among the convicts through theatre.  A large number of audience including police officials and their families and theatre lover were present for the function and play.