THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Designated as the first-ever cultural corridor in Kerala, Manaveeyam Veedhi in the capital city was recently reopened without adequate infrastructure, including a proper stage to hold performances. This, understandably, has left the socio-cultural community fuming.
Now, a collective of artists and activists is demanding that the authorities provide more infrastructure for stage performances and other cultural events. Members of the collective will submit a memorandum to the mayor and Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL), which implemented the project.
“It is unfortunate that many artists and others stayed mum till now,” laments thespian and cultural activist D Reghoothaman. “We had designed the project proposal carefully. With the help of experts, we finalised the plan and submitted it to the corporation. Even the SCTL approved our proposal. Now they have executed an entirely different project, which is devoid of the initially planned features for performances. It is disappointing. This was a dream space for artists; we had staged numerous performances here.”
Shajahan M S, a theatre artist who has been performing at Manaveeyam Veedhi since 2006, echoes similar sentiments. “A green room was one of the key components in the original proposal. Now there are no facilities for even women artists to change their costumes,” he says. “Disabled and gender-friendly toilet facilities and wheelchair-friendly walkways were included in the proposal, but not built. We also need a storage space to keep musical instruments and other equipment needed for performances.”
Notably, the design of the cultural street project was approved by SCTL in 2019, and finalised after several rounds of stakeholder consultations. As per the design, the road was to be divided into two, of which one half would be used for cultural activities, and the other for traffic. The ambitious project, conceived with the participation of the cultural collective of the capital, aimed to transform Manaveeyam into an iconic performance space where people from all walks of life could come and enjoy art and cultural performances.
Theatre artist and folk singer Sreenivas V K, who is also an executive member of Manaveeyam Therukoottam, points out that rain shelters are missing in the corridor. “The pergola structure is exposed, and there is no roof,” he notes. “Electricity and Wi-Fi should be provided for free. We are in the process of collecting signatures to submit a memorandum to the mayor.”
An official associated with the project says SCTL has so far undertaken Rs 3-crore worth of redevelopment work at Manaveeyam Veedhi. He adds that the space is wheelchair-friendly and there are toilet facilities for all genders. “Drinking water kiosks was one of the demands put forward. We will try to address all such reasonable demands. Building a rain shelter or a roof over the performance area is not practical,” the officer adds. The authorities have set up a police aid post at the venue. Efforts are on to provide a space for artists to store equipment.