JOIN USGreens, young and old alike, on Sunday gathered at People’s Park in Nazarbad in the city, to register their protest against the ongoing works on library.
The protest, which is snowballing into a movement with Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) taking the lead, was mixture of creativity. From a street play to rendering of songs, venting anguish against the system, the agitation, though silent showed all signs of making the authorities concerned hear.
The play ‘People’s Park Ulisi’ by Ranga Sinchana troupe lasted nearly half-an-hour. It depicted the love of birds for nature, woodcutters, whose livelihood depends on trees among others who are connected with nature in one or the other way.
The play directed by K N Vasudevamurthy carries the message loud and clear. For records, it was for People’s Park, but resonated the pulse of the happenings in other parts too — irrespective of cities.
Shashikala, a retired professor created a soothing atmosphere binding the students with nature. ‘Ella Maaya Naale Naavu Maaya...’, a Kannada song which takes on multi-national companies for eroding natural resources, filled the air with the protesters adding chorus.
Students of Kautilya Vidyalaya, Sri Cauvery Educational Institution, among others, clad in their uniforms carried placards with a common message ‘Save park for the future’. A group of students stood apart by turning their drawings on nature into placards for the day.
MGP distributed pamphlets printed in both Kannada and English explaining the need for an agitation to protect People’s Park, one of the several landmarks in the city. Bhanu Mohan-led group of activists of Parisara Samrakshana Samithi planted saplings, hoping to add to the existing green cover.
Major General (retd) S G Vombatkere, Bhamy V Shenoy, Dr R Balasubramanian of Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, Vasant Kumar Mysoremath and others were present.