Direct Action, Dr. Nataraj Huliyar’s play based on the life and struggles of Prof. M.D. Nanjundaswamy (MDN), founder of Rajya Raitha Sangha, was staged in a packed auditorium in Shivamogga on January 21. Majority of the audience comprised farmers with green shawls, the identity of the sangha, on their shoulders. The play is a production of Bengaluru-based Nagna Theatre, and was staged at Kuvempu Ranga Mandira.
The play opens with reference to the year-long farmers’ protest in Delhi against the anti-farmers’ laws, and the role of MDN in organising farmers in Karnataka.
Sampat Maitreya, actor, wins hearts in his role as MDN. As he enters the stage for the first time in the play, many in the audience welcomed him with a round of applause, acknowledging that the actor did resemble MDN. He imitated MDN’s body language and the way he spoke. Whenever he raised a slogan, popular during MDN’s protests on many farmer-related issues, the audience responded.
