At a time when Kathaprasangam is literally on the verge of extinction, here is a youth from Kudarnahi village in Kozhikode who is passionate about making people aware of social issues through art. SV Jayesh, who entered this field almost 30 years ago, comes up with at least one production every month with the support of two other members of his team.
“We keep this art form alive amongst ourselves by giving voice to contemporary issues and problems affecting people’s lives. Instead of recreating old stories, we weave our own stories and make them into this most captivating art form Presents,” says Jayesh, who was also the winner of several state-level competitions during his school days. He says that Kathaprasangam has the power to easily grab the attention of the people and convey the message in the form of entertainment.
Unlike those who train youth in the art form only for competitions, Jayesh is training more than 15 students of his village to become professional artists.
“During this COVID-19 time, we have been able to produce 17 Kathaprasangam stories on diverse topics for public awareness. Our stories mostly deal with issues like drug abuse, attacks on women, farmers’ struggle amid the COVID-19 crisis and the menace of wild animals,” says Jayesh, who is now preparing for the presentation of a special Kathaprasangam on EMS Namboodiripad. are. Chief Minister of the state. “At every possible opportunity, we try to solicit the support of police and government departments to increase the reach of arts-based awareness activities,” he adds.
The three-member team, including storyteller Kombra Baby and music director Shaji Augustine, spends at least three to four hours every evening discussing socially relevant stories and bringing them to the audience. They use social media platforms to reach their audience.