A play that tells the story of a girl forced to enter a nunnery and later escapes from the cloistered surroundings continues to be in the crosshairs of the Catholic church in Kerala, which believes that it has been made to target them. The play ‘Kakkukali’ (Hopscotch game) based on a short story by Francis Noronha and being staged by Neythal Nataka Sangham of Alappuzha, began facing church criticism from February this year.
Believers under the aegis of Thamarassery diocese took out a protest march to the venue where the play was to be staged at Edachery in Kozhikode on Saturday, April 29 to signal that their opposition to it is not over. A statement from the Thamarassery Bishop Remigius Inchananiyil said the political leaders and media in the state had neglected the church’s concerns. The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) too has stated that they will continue to organise protests against the play across the state.
“The approach of Left-leaning organisations and political activists to provide platforms for and promote the play Kakkukali, which insults Christian asceticism with misleading content, is highly objectionable. The KCBC had condemned the play and termed it as an insult to cultural Kerala. Despite strong protests, the intention of some people to promote the play in the name of freedom of expression is to insult the Christian community. The Christian community will be forced to hold state-wide protests if they go ahead with more performances. The government should urgently stop the exhibition of this play which is a stain on cultural Kerala,” said Michael Pulickal, Secretary, KCBC Jagratha Commission, in a statement.
Natalia, the central character in the play, was forced to join the convent to get rid of her poverty, leaving behind her communist father's past, which she was fond of. But she was hit by the grim atmosphere inside the convent, where she was punished even for small mistakes. Finally, she comes out of it and seeks freedom. The play written by KB Ajayakumar is directed by Job Madathil.
The makers of the play have stated that the act is not against a religion, but against institutions which deny women freedom.
This is not for the first time the Catholic church has turned its ire on plays that were thought to be critical of the establishment or blasphemous. 'Kristhuvinte Aaraam Thirumurivu (The Sixth Wound of Christ), a play, scripted by PM Antony of the Suryakanthi Theatres of Alleppey, and based on Nikos Kazantzakis’ ‘The Last Temptation of Christ' ran into trouble with the church even before it was first staged in 1986. It later faced a ban from a court.
In Kottayam, the district administration banned the staging of the controversial Rock opera 'Jesus Christ Superstar' at Pallikoodam School run by Mary Roy, following protest in 1990. The ban continued for 25 years until it was lifted by the Supreme Court in 2015. The ban order was issued by Alphons Kannanthanam, who was the Kottayam district collector then.
Neythal Nataka Sangham has staged the play across the state in many venues for a year. In February this year it was rejected entry to a competition following the objection from the Abu Dhabi faction of Catholic Congress, a Christian group.
A group of artists have taken a stand against attempts to curb artistic freedom and silence criticism against the church. “How can a play become anti-social?.. The ruling class has always feared and banned plays,” said a statement issued by theatre artists and activists in support of Kakkukali.