Hyderabad: The alleged suicide by the Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula at Hyderabad Central University has triggered massive protest all over. He was academically ambitious and was disillusioned over being used for politics.
His extreme action was a result of discrimination against Dalit students. Now Vemula’s life is all set to be brought back on stage in Kannada this Sunday.
The hour-long one-man show narrates Vemula’s childhood, dreams and struggle at the Hyderabad Central University. It leads up to the moment when he decided to end his life.
The play titled as Nakshtrada Dhoolu, meaning “star dust,” written by Harshakumar Kugwe, and Vemula role is played by Kiran Marashettihalli a Shivamogga-based theatre actor.
The title of the play was taken from the last letter of Vemula in which he wrote. “Never was a man treated as a mind. As a glorious thing made up of star dust.”
Mr. Kugwe said. “That line captures the disillusionment of a young man with society and the politics of identity. As Rohith makes that fateful decision on stage, I hope the audience will introspect on the social structures and their complicity in them that leads him to end his life.”
Mr. Kiran, said before starting the act he has spoken to many of Vemula’s friends at HCU, family and seen multiple videos to get into the character.
He said. “The play goes beyond Rohith’s story and is introspection on society, the stamping of the dreams of young minds in the name of caste.”
The play is going to be first staged at Freedom Park, Bengaluru, on Sunday.