Book Review: Kuruthi

If you guys are wondering which one is this, let me tell you at the very outset- dont panic if you have not heard about this one! Kuruthi is a one act play by a certain Mr. K L Antony of Cherthala. It was published in 1966 and from then on, the author claims, it is being played at schools, colleges as well as atinter school and inter collegiate competitions. The author himself was selling the book door to door and the only reason why I thought I would write about it is because I did not find it half bad!

The plot is simple- Kuruthi is the story of Lazar- a petty thief and his children- Joy and Jessy. Joy is miffed with the system and has turned totally negative because he knows that his father is a thief. Jessy is a school going student who is accused of theft in school. Lazar and his family survive at the mercy of Kasim Muthalali. His son, Rahim holds a torch for Jessy. Things take an ugly turn when Kasim Muthalali tries to evict the family from his property and with Jessy being labelled a thief in school. The father- son duo misunderstand the teenaged girl and before Sreedharan master arrives on the scene to clear the air, Jessy commits suicide unable to bear the injustice meted out on her.

In a way, Kuruthi raises its voice against oppression of the downtrodden and the wily ways of the society in the 60's. It is completely anti- establishment and has strong communist overtones. A plot like this might not be relevant today but the one act play has moments of tenderness and some very strong dialogues. It is written in a school drama style and can be considered even today for a stage adaptation at school level.

Kuruthi is published by Kalakendram, Kundannoor.