Children turn vendors at ‘Makkala Santhe’

Mysuru: Former University of Mysore faculty Prof. Kalachannegowda said that children theatre will provide a perfect platform for enhancing creativity among the minds of children.

He was speaking at the valedictory of the 4-day ‘Baalya-Amoolya’ children theatre festival organised as part of the annual ‘Chinnara Mela’ children summer camp at Vanaranga in Rangayana premises here on Saturday.

Noting that children these days seem to be focussed only on their academics throughout the year, Prof. Kalachannegowda said that this tendency has led to a general feeling that children are turning away from extracurricular activities, which is equally important at an young age. However, at this critical juncture, Rangayana has stepped in to provide a perfect platform for children to exhibit their inherent skills and talent and also enhance their creativity through learning of new things at the camp, he pointed out.

Lauding the efforts of parents to engage their children in meaningful and creative activities, Prof. Kalachannegowda said that the ‘Chinnara Mela’ got started 25 years ago when senior theatre personality C. Basavalingaiah headed Rangayana. Since, then this ‘Chinnara Mela’ has been gaining popularity across the country with each passing year, he maintained.

Ranga Samaja Member Dr. Rajappa Dalvai said that ‘Chinnara Mela’ has been successful in bringing out children thoughts in the form of theatre. It is a matter of joy that Rangayana has become a platform for such a creative activity, he added.

Kannada and Culture Director K.M. Gayathri said that the Children Theatre Fest during ‘Chinnara Mela’ has drawn national attraction for its creativity and new theatre experiments.

The 4-day Children Theatre Fest saw performance of a total of 12 plays of Kotiganahalli Ramaiah under the direction of senior artistes S. Ramu, K.C. Raghu and others. Senior writer Padmashri Ram, Rangayana Director Satish Tiptur, ‘Chinnara Mela’ Camp Director Anil Revoor, Rangayana Dy. Director Dr. M.D. Sudarshan, Kannada & Culture Joint Director V.N. Mallikarjunaswamy and others were present.