High demand for Chinnara Mela applications; Fathers sleep in Kalamandira premises to be first in line

Hundreds of parents had queued up in Rangayana premises here this morning to purchase the limited number of applications for Chinnara Mela, the much-awaited annual summer camp for children hosted by the theatre repertory.

A large number of parents had gathered at Bhoomigeeta in Rangayana since early morning much before the counter was opened.

The distribution of applications started at 10 am and all the 300 forms were sold out in just 30 minutes.

The parents obtained the applications by paying Rs. 50. While a few parents were lucky to get their hands on the applications, the others returned disappointed.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Shivuchikka Mutt and K. Prakash, who were not able to get the applications for their children, said that Chinnara Mela was the best place for children to spend their summer vacation. Rangayana has theatre stalwarts, who have been entertaining the theatre buffs since ages. Learning from such personalities would definitely boost their confidence.

As camp fee, Rangayana will be charging Rs. 2,000 per child. The kids will be trained in finer nuances of theatre apart from interacting with well-known actors and theatre personalities.

With the demanded for Chinnara Mela applications increasing year by year, some of the parents were said to have reserved their place in  Rangayana premises last night itself.

Many were seen sleeping in their cars overnight just to make sure they returned home with the application in their hands.

A few people were also heard complaining that the fee collected by Rangayana towards Chinnara Mela was very high. When asked about the matter, Rangayana Deputy Director Nirmala Matapathi said that compared to private institutions, which were organising similar summer camps, Rangayana was charging much lesser.

She also added that none of the parents complained about the fee structure over the past few years.

Those parents, who were unable to get the applications, were seen making earnest request to Nirmala Matapathi to distribute an additional 30 applications to which the officer said that it was not possible to do so.

The last date to submit the filled in applications is Apr. 6. Chinnara Mela camp, to be held between Apr. 10 and May 10, will be inaugurated by Siya Khode, the National Bravery award winner from Hubballi.