Thiruvananthapuram, Sept 26 (BPNS)
Sudheer a theater activist and former producer in Malayalam’s popular Television Channel, “Kairali” has promoted a concept of Organic farming and the rich culture associated with farming. To promote this into a theater, he zeroed in on a character that was being spoken about in the rural areas where farmers are being inspired by a supernatural phenomenon or being named “Kadampan Moothan”.
The theater activist and producer is promoting Organic farming across several parts of the state using theater and has named his mission, Organic Theater. Speaking to BPNS on how he entered into such a project, Sudheer said, “ We are eating food but never bother to produce what we eat and then complain that the food we eat is laced with pesticides. Nothing productive will come out of this and I wanted to change this and promote the concept of Organic farming among the people, especially the youngsters and formed Wide Inspiration, Wide Aspiration( WIWA) “.
The theater activist said that the idea of Organic Theater is brushing up tradition and folk culture that has been part of the culture of Kerala and which has been forgotten for years.
While researching on indigenous and organic farming practiced by several communities, he got to know about ‘ Kadampan Moothan’ who according to villagers and farmers were a supernatural person whose role was to protect the farmers and to inspire them in times of hardships and reversal and also to give encouragement and persistence to farmers from being burnt out due to despair.
This character inspired Sudheer who created a character out of the ballad, and named it,“Kadampan Moothan” who travels from villages to villages and promotes Organic farming with his beautiful song and makes farmers aware of their talents and their willpower.
Sudheer while speaking to BPNS said, “Kadampan Moothan renders song on the never say die attitude of the farmer who does everything to commence farming on a land that was immersed in floods. He also sings about the hard work being put up in growing a crop and on the determination of a farmer.”
To popularize Organic Theater, “Kadampan Moothan” is dressed in an interesting costume of natural products, mask, and headgear made of straw. Moothan has now become the mascot of Organic theater.
Sudheer knocked several doors to promote Organic farming using Organic Theater and disappointment was the result. Since 2013, he has been relentlessly trying for this project and in 2014 he received the support of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). He along with his team of Wide Inspiration, Wide Aspiration (WIWA) took 2 acres of land at Vellarada, in the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and inspired people to take up Organic farming and promote the culture associated with the farming.
Organic Theater and farming are now synonymous with Sudheer and he is now traveling to various areas of the state to take classes on the rich culture associated with the place where they live and how Organic farming is to be done keeping in mind their rich culture.
“Kadampan Moothan” is a character who is popular among the people of the state, thanks to the hard work and drive of Sudheer whose main idea is folklore and culture of the area and how the cultivation and farming is being inspired by the culture.
