KOCHI: The loss of Ann Rifta Roy, one of the Cusat students who died in the amphitheatre stampede, has left the residents of Kurumbathuruth, near North Paravoor, in a state of disbelief. The 20-year-old was well-known among the local residents for her performances in Chavittu Nadakam, a folk theatre art form.
Ann was trained by her father, Roy KG, who was a professional artist and the ‘asan’ (master) of Yuva Kerala Chavittu Nadaka Kala Samiti in Kurumbathuruth. She started her journey on the stage with small roles and eventually played an angel and a princess. Her sudden departure has left many princess roles unfinished.
The local residents who gathered at the Konath House were unable to console Ann’s father, Roy, and her elder brother, Rithul. Ann’s funeral will be held after the arrival of her mother, Sindhu, who works as a home nurse in Italy. Her mortal remains have been kept at the Paravoor Taluk Hospital.
“We have lost our princess,” said Anson Kurumbathuruth, a former secretary of the Yuva Kerala Chavittu Nadaka Kala Samiti. Anson, who had shared the stage with Roy and Ann in many plays, said the groups’ rehearsals are held in the courtyard of Roy’s house.
“Ann, who is called ‘Nunnu Mol’ by her family members, played significant roles in several plays. She started at a young age, playing various characters. She then played an angel, eventually becoming the princess in many of our plays. Roy asan, who was also the scriptwriter of these plays, created the character of the princess specifically for her,” he said. Ann acted in plays like Joan of Arc, Carlsman, St Ghevarghis, and St Sebastian, he said.
“She last acted in ‘Visuddha Valentine.’ She was a good singer too and was part of the church choir,” Anson said. He recalled that Ann, a former student of the Mary Ward English Medium School, Puthenvelikara, and the Government Girl’s HSS, Kodungalloor, was a brilliant student and had topped her school in the SSLC and Plus Two examinations.
Hearing the news of the stampede, Rithul and his friends had rushed to the hospital with prayers that Ann, who had left for the college programme happily, would be safe. But Rithul had to stand trembling after learning that she was dead. Ann was a second-year electronics and communication student with the School of Engineering (SoE) at Cusat. Reshmi, a friend of Ann’s, said she was a well-mannered girl.
“We were in the same class. Later, she shifted to the electronics and communication department. However, our friendship continued. We used to have lunch together,” said Reshmi, a second-year student at the electrical and electronics department. Ann’s body will be brought to her house on Monday afternoon and the funeral will be held on Tuesday, according to local residents.