Drama spotlights problems of war-widows in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 December 2004, 03:06 GMT]
A drama program held at the Kailasapathy Auditorium of the University of Jaffna on Sunday at 10:30 am for the plan by the Tamil Refugees Rehabilitation Organization (TRRO) to benefit the women widowed by war, sources in Jaffna said.

Mr. Puthuvai Ratnathurai, Poet and head of the LTTE's arts and culture division.

Mr. N. Raviraj, TNA MP speaking.

A scene from the drama.

An evening show was also staged.

The drama was written and directed by Mr. Devananth, a popular director of the privately run Active Theatre Movement in Jaffna. The drama was designed to highlight the social and economic problems faced by widows who are heads of households.

Portions of poems written by Naga. Sivasithamparam were part of the drama.

Mr. Devananth’s previous widely acclaimed drama, titled ‘Sigh of Fire,’ was based on the Chemmani mass graves [of people murdered by the Sri Lanka Army] and was held in Jaffna at a time when the SLA was still conducting operations in Jaffna.

Guest speakers at the event included Mr. Puthuvai Ratnathurai, the well-known poet who is head of the LTTE’s Arts and Culture Division, and Mr. N. Raviraj, the Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian.

Mr. Nallathamby, TRRO reprsentative, also spoke at the event.