And some prostitutes never die.
On the occasion of its 29th anniversary, Kinnera Art Theatres is organising 29 days of Telugu stage dramas from different parts of the state, at Sri Thyagaraya Gana Sabha, from 9th November to 7th December. As part of the 24th day of celebrations, Chintamani is being staged today.
Chintamani is a play written by Kalakuri Narayana Rao about the social evil of prostitution in 1920, and it's being used today to spread the message about ...AIDS! Chintamani was a kind of a path-breaking play. In that age, most padyanatakas were on mythology - Chintamani was the first on a social theme. It was about how prostitution was wrecking marraiges, and how women were entering it just because it was their kulavritthi, their family trade.
Chintamani was an example of an ardent devotee of the Lord Krishna, who was forced into prostitution by her mother Srihari. She once sees Bilvamangalam, a handsome and noble son of a rich zamindar, at a temple, and fall in love with him. Bhavanishankar, a friend of Bilvamangalam and a customer of Chintamani, lures Bilvamangalam into meeting her.
Bilvamangalam gets impressed by her knowledge, and when she answers all of his questions, he tells her that she can have whatever she wants from him. Sure enough, she asks him to train her in the kamasastra. He agrees, and falls firmly for her charms, neglecting his wife Radha and his ageing father.
The drama is being directed by Rosireddy, and presented by Sri Ganesh Kala Niketan of Ranga Reddy District.
Kinnera Art Theatres was started in 1977, and has since organised various programs, including musical nites, classical dances and vocals, felicitations and releases of books. It has served as a platform for many upcoming artistes, and has at the same time provided recognition and appreciation for established ones. Dr R Prabhakar Rao, IPS, is the chairman of the association, while M Raghuram is its dedicated secretary.
Please contact M Raghuram of Kinnera Art Theatres at 98660-57777 for further details.