Treat on the street

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The street situated in the midst of the busy city wears a mood of tranquility. The dainty footpath laid with red and black tiles and the  canopy could seduce anyone right away. The Manaveeyam Veedhi at Vellayambalam has turned a preferred  site for a variety of activities; be it for art performances, hanging out or film shoot.It was on the sidelines of the Manaveeyam Cultural Mission, inaugurated by the State government in 2000, that the street was designated as Manaveeyam Veedhi.  In 2001, under the initiative of the department of culture, city corporation, theatre and art groups, poets and activists in the city, the street was earmarked as a potential venue for cultural activities. Every Sunday, the street will witness some kind of art performance in the evening. City-based Abhinaya Centre for Theatre Research,  has been organising performances here for the past 10 years. “The concept of street performance, which is popular in European countries, inspired us to conduct programmes here. The place is free from distractions, traffic congestion in particular. The performances we make here are intended to be different from the run-of-the-mill programmes  on the small screen,” says Bandhu Prasad, performing arts manager and former secretary of Abhinaya. Skits, mimes, plays and folk song performances are staged there. The only technical obstacle faced is said to be the lack of electricity for sound system or lights. “In all these years, only two or three performances required such facilities. We relied on power supply from generators those days. Otherwise the street is always fine for regular performances,” he says.Movie-makers too have reasons to choose the place as a favourite location for shooting. Film director T K Rajiv Kumar explains, “less vehicular traffic is of course a factor. Besides, the street is not a crowded business area. While choosing other streets in the city, Chalai for example, we have to take permission from the authorities and also have to fix a time with the vendors in personal to do shooting there with out disruption. The street is mostly free from disturbances except for the few motorists and pedestrians.” His latest movie, ‘Thalsamayam Oru Penkutti,’ had scenes shot at Manaveeyam Veedhi.The street is also a place for people to relax at the end of a busy day or to arrange a get-together of best friends once in a while. Nithin S R , a project leader at Waybeo Technology Solutions Private Limited at Technopark, was seen sharing a tea and ‘chillibhaji’ from the wayside tea stall while chatting way with friends. “We used to gather on the  road between Museum and Kanakakkunnu. When it become crowded with tourists we searched for new pastures and finally came to Manaveeyam veedhi,” he says. Besides the tranquil atmosphere of the place, the ample space for vehicle parking and proximity to other hotspots are also factors why the street becomes the most preferred hang-out. “We also had ‘tweet-ups’ (meet-up of friends on twitter) and meeting of friends on facebook. The meet-up on working days usually happen between seven and eight in the evening and 10 to 15 people will turn up every-time on the footpath,” Nithin says.