What Is ‘Chintamani Padya Natakam’?
The Andhra Pradesh government has banned a 100-year-old play named ‘Chintamani Padya Natakam
- The play was written in 1920 by playwright Kallakuri Narayana Rao, who was also a social reformer.
- The play is about Chintamani, a courtesan and a devotee of Lord Krishna, who finds salvation by singing bhajans.
- She is courted by Subbi Shetty, a businessman from the Arya Vysya community, who loses his wealth and family due to his attraction to Chintamani.
- The play is exhibited across the state, mainly in rural areas, during festivals and fairs.
- The original play had a social message, but over the years, it has been modified purely for entertainment.
- Much of the play sees central character Subbi Shetty made fun of, especially for losing all his wealth to his vices.
- Also, the content and dialogues are offensive, and the Central character is always portrayed as a short and dark-coloured person.
- Due to the way Shetty’s character is portrayed, the entire community is stigmatised.
- The Arya Vysya community has been petitioning governments for several years to ban the play, saying it portrays them in a negative light.
