JEDDAH, 5 May 2007 — Nanma (Goodness), a socio-cultural organization of Keralites registered with the Indian Consulate, recently came up with a novel vision of spreading its message by hosting the One-Act Play Competition 2007, which organizers say is first of its kind in the Kingdom.

“Three one-act plays were selected to be staged in the competition, meeting all the strict terms and conditions,” said George Vilson, Nanma’s general secretary.

Kerala Kala Sahithi, another Keralite organization in Jeddah, staged “Chennaikkal” (Wolves), a satire about modern life.

“The presentation was fantastic, with stage effects, lights and sounds,” Vilson said. The audience cheered as actors representing wolves were roaming on the stage.

The actors were A.T. Pillai, Venugopal, Mustak Mankada, Sadiq, Roy Mathew and C. Praskah. The script was written by Mushtak, conceived by John Abraham and directed by A.T. Pillai.

Sargam Kudumbavedi, a group of like-minded Keralite families in Jeddah, staged “Chaverpada” (Soldiers) about the Mamangam in North Malabar where the feudal system helped promulgate a communist movement. Abdul Aziz scripted the play and Majeed Ponnani directed it. The actors were Akbar Ponnani, Majeed Ponnani, Ashraf Meleveetil, Mustafa Vazhakkad, Hisham Abdul Majeed, Aszar Akbar, Jasin Mustafa and Ramees Ali Rashid.

Kali Kootam, a group of stage-lovers performed “Kadaltheeram” (The Beach), the third one-act play. The play was originally penned by the great writer, the late O.V. Vijayan, but was made into a stage play and directed by Santhosh Khan. Khan, Sunil Said, Anil Nooranadu, Ayub, Ashraf Pattambi, Jaffar and Asla Ayub were the performers.

Kadaltheeram bagged the best one-act play, best direction and best actor awards with a consolation prize for a woman artist.

Though Nanma did not participate in the competition, it staged a one-act play, “Kazhchha Vettangalkumappurathu” (Beyond the Sight).

“It is a lesson for parents, who are busy and have no time to take proper care of their wards,” said Vilson, who had written and directed the play.

Abdul Razak Kannian, Abdul Subhan, Riyaz Mether, Sajid Ahmed, Davis Joseph, Sunny Koothoor, Lizy George, Master Edwin Sunny and George Vilson were on the stage. Vilson bagged the best performer award. Akbar Ponnani, Mushtak Ahmed and Majeed Ponnani also excelled in their performance.

Abdul Samad, managing director of Rabih Al-Jazirah Polyclinic, inaugurated the function presided over by Nanma President Salimudeen Aluva. Pushpa Suresh, Sreejith Kumar, Hanifa Kochanur, Usman Pandikkad, Abdul Razak Edavanakkad were the judges. Abdul Aziz Edavanakkad, Abdul Samad, Usman Irumpuzhi, Abu Iringattiri, Pushpa Suresh and Hanifa Kochanur presented the prizes.

Malarvadi Celebrations

The first anniversary celebrations of Malarvadi Balasangam, a cultural organization of Keralite children, started off here last weekend with a spectacular procession by the young boys and girls in Jeddah. The young artists led by Qenas Kabir and Shoaib Jamal marched to the tune of religious songs around the Lora Compound across the Haramain Expressway.

More than 400 Balasangam members as well as their parents and a large number of guests witnessed the festive event that was followed by a variety of colorful entertainment programs presented by the budding artists after weeks of rigorous training.

Different Balasangam chapters in the city competed each other to show off their excellence in art and craft. An exhibit organized as part of the celebrations demonstrated the inventive skills of the Balasangam kids. Models of scientific projects, slideshows, stamps, pictures, a photo collection of well-known personalities, and charts were among the many items that were on display.

The stage show began with Daffu Muttu, a famous folklore dance. Two separate presentations by boys and girls of the famous Malabar Muslim dance form Oppana drew applause from the crowd. Yet another attraction was the sword dance, the popular Saudi folk dance, presented by Abrar Abdullah and his team.

Prizes were given away to winners of various contests organized by the Balasangam throughout the year.

Malarvadi Balasangam was established in January 2006 to nurture creative talent and promote moral values among young children of Keralite expatriates living in the Kingdom. It has now 10 units with 400 members in different age groups, according to T.M. Abdul Jabbar, its coordinator.