THE BOAT BOY – The Play

Chandradasan, founder, and artistic director of Lokadharmi Centre for Theatre Kochi is a designer, director, dramaturge, actor, writer, and translator. He designed and directed more than 50 plays that include adaptations of Classics (Western and Indian), Shakespeare, contemporary plays, musicals, improvised and devised productions, poetry and short story performances, comedies, and children’s plays in Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Finnish, Lithuanian, Tamil, Sanskrit, and English which includes 10 plays for children. He is also a published writer of original plays, articles on theatre/performance studies in reputed journals and periodicals both in English and Malayalam. His Ph.D.is for the thesis titled Spacing the Actor, in Theatre/ Cultural Studies from the department of Fine Arts, Kerala Kalamandalam. He was a Professor of Chemistry in St. Alberts College, Ernakulam.

He has worked as the visiting faculty in Pomona College Claremont USA (as a Fulbright-Nehru Fellow),National School of Drama New Delhi (directed the play Shakuntalam for 2nd year students), NSD Bangalore(directed the play Kariya Devara Huduki, In search of Black God), Rangayana Mysore (directed the play Puckin Arkediya) Abhivyakthi Goa (directed the play Godhuli), and also a resource person in various universities and theatre institutes all over India.

He has published original plays, collection of performance studies, and edited books on Theatre. Also published around 50 articles on performance and cultural studies, as part of books and in reputed Journals, both in English and Malayalam.

He is the recipient of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi award 2004, META award for best play 2008,Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship for professional and Academic excellence in Theatre, 2014, and the best playwright award by Kerala Bala Sahitya Institute 2015, and the Senior Fellowship in theatre from the department of Culture, Govt of India, 2016.

He has visited, Greece, Bangladesh, Lithuania, Finland, USA, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Doha to perform in Theatre Festivals, participate in Seminars, direct plays, conduct workshops, and to do research.

LOKADHARMI is a Centre for theatre training, research, and performance, established in 1991in Kochi, Kerala. The group focuses on innovative productions that challenge traditional norms and push the boundaries of conventional theatre. Lokadharmi’s performances often tackle socially relevant themes, weaving in elements of traditional Indian theatre with modern storytelling techniques.

Lokadharmi also has a dedicated wing for children’s theatre known as Mazhavillu (rainbow) where kids below the age of fifteen are trained and exposed to theatre. Mazhavillu is working since 2000, which did major productions as well as regular weekly workshops and annual summer camps. Mazhavilluhas produced many major productions that were performed all over India. The productions include Charandas Chor (Habib Tanvir), Alibabayum40 Kallanmarum (Chandrasekhara Kambar), Thathamaram (Chandradasan), Bommanahalliyile Kinnara yogi (Chandradasan based on the KannadaPoem by Kuvempu). These plays have beenperformed in Jashne Bachpan at NSD New Delhi, ITFoK Trissur, Soorya Festival Thiruvananthapuram, National Theatre Fest at Ahmedabad, etc.

One important activity by Mazhavillu is a workshop/ summer camp on Performance Art conducted in the months of April from 2002 onwards. Professionals from different art fields, along with academicians take classes and give practical training.

Mazhavillu has regular weekly theatre workshops for Children every Saturday from 4.00 p.m. to6.00 p.m. in collaboration with Kerala Museum MN Foundation held at Kerala Museum, Pathadippalam, Edappalli.

Baji Rout is the youngest Indian freedom fighter and martyr. He sacrificed his life for the cause of his motherland at the tender age of 12. He was shot dead by British police when he courageously denied to ferry them across the river Brahmani on the night of 11th October 1938.

Baji Rout was born in October 5th 1926 in a poor Khandayat (a quasi-martial caste) family, at Nilakanthapur a river-side village of Brahmani River in Dhenkanal District of Orissa.

His childhood days were not so happy and joyful. He had lost his father Hari Rout who was a boatman,from a very early period of his childhood. He wasbrought up by his mother who used to do ricehusking job in the neighborhood village.

The cruelty of the then king of Dhenkanal, Shankar Pratap Singh Deo was at the peak. He built his 100room palace at Jatan Nagar with forced labor. The laborer were tortured badly. Taxes have been levied on the poor villagers and the soldiers of the king were used to snatch the incomes of poor villagers. Shankar Pratap placed a Raja Bhakta Tax or Loyalty Tax, and those who did not pay, had their houses razed to the ground by royal elephants, and all their property confiscated. Baji’s mother was also a victim. The British Raj had helped the king in all his atrocities and suppress the people.

The people were looking for the end of this merciless ruling. It led to the organization of the Prajamandal (Party of People), under the head of Baishnab Charan Patnaik, popularly known as Veer Baishnab. Baji joined this revolt despite of his teenage. He worked as an active member of the Vanar Sena, the children’s wing of Prajamandal. The members of Vanar Sena has to roam around and collect news about the movement of the British army and give it to the activists of the Prajamandal.

Patnaik met as many people as possible, instigating them against the King, and establishing contacts with leaders of the National Congress in Cuttack, drawing their attention to the terrible situation of the oppressed people of Dhenkanal. The movement grew slowly but steadily. The King decided to end this once and for all and targeted Veer Baishnab and confiscated his ancestral properties. The British sent a platoon of 250 gun-men soldiers from Calcutta to support the tyrannical King and to quell the mass movement.

The angry authorities kept searching for Patnaikand stumbled upon news that he was camping in the Bhuban village. The King and the armed forces attacked the village torturing people for  information. But, no information on Patnaik was forthcoming.

In the midnight of 10th October 1938, the police forces attacked the village destroying houses and arrested some persons without any reason and took them to police station. The Conch was sounded by the villagers as a signal to alarm the Prajamandal leaders. The people woke up and gheraoed the Bhuban police Station with a loud noise to demanding the release the arrested persons. The soldiers opened fire at the agitators to disperse them that killed two people named Raghu Naik and Quri Naik; many persons were injured.

However, after this incident the police forces realized that their life is in danger and tried to flee away. They wanted to go Dhenkanal via Nilakanthapur Ghat, which was the shortest route. On the wee hours of the raining night of 11th October1938, they reached Nilakanthapur Ghat of Brahmani River.

Baij Rout, was at the Ghat and was at a night vigil, as he was asked by senior activists to keep an eye on the Ghat to ensure that cops will not get ferried across the river. He was in charge of a country boat at the Ghat and was sleeping when the troops came. The British police ordered Baji to ferry them across the river in his boat. But he denied bravely. Instead of ferrying them, he started shouting and making noise, to warn the villagers regarding the presence of the troops. A soldier hit Baji on the head with the butt of his gun, fracturing the boy’s soft skull. Baji collapsed but continued raising his voice, warning villagers of the presence of the troop. The angry police force shot him dead along with four others.

Baji Rout has sacrificed his life for the nation. History does not tell much about him. But his patriotism and love for his country has made him the youngest martyr of freedom struggle in India.

Poet Sachi Routray, the Jnanpith Award Winner, wrote a poem about Baji Rout titled The Boatman Boy which made the story of Baij Rout immortal.