Strong crowds thronged a number of locations around Fort Kochi and Mattancherry today as the BM Anand Foundation along with Jana Natya Manch (Janam), one of Delhi's oldest and most non-conformist theatre groups, kicked off a weekend-long series of street theatre performances.
After watchingThe Faces of Violence(Yeh Bhi Hinsa Hai), a production based on physical and non-physical acts of violence committed against women, Shruthi and Payoshni had their eyes well up with tears.
Many of the 200 strong gathered for the performance, had similar reactions to the play, which ends with a symbolic - but powerful - depiction of rape.
"The troupe visualised daily life incidents," Shruthi said.
"I could not control my emotions on viewing the pain they expressed. The play dealt with various shades of male dominance - from stalking and voyeurism to patriarchy."
"The play eloquently expressed the sexual and mental abuse a woman has to face from childhood. What I like most about the play is the direct approach they used to tell harsh realities," Payoshni said.
That first of four shows held through the day at the Mattancherry bus stand, Vasco da Gama Square, Fort Kochi beach and Aspinwall House, set the tone for the performances, organised as part of the outreach programme of the exhibition titled,Dissent & Discourse: the Art and Politics of Brij Mohan Anand, running as a collateral project of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, at the Greenix Village Cultural Arts Centre in Fort Kochi.
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