VAWAs romp up art and dance scene in Vypeen

Songs, dance, poetry, performance — it’s quite a feast when the VAWAs meet. The group, Vypeen Artist Welfare Association (VAWA), was formed nearly 20 years ago to promote traditional arts and artists from the Vypeen.

“There are hundreds of artists on the island. About 95% of them hail from low-income families. So in 2006, we formed an association to have all of them into an organised collective. This way, we can take care of our collective welfare and mitigate problems,” says Sippy Pallipuram, a writer and one of the founding members of VAWA.

The primary goal of the group is to secure performance opportunities for its members rather than provide financial aid. “We are artists — singers, composers, painters and film artists. What’s important to us is opportunity. An avenue to showcase skills,” says VAWA president Anil Plawins.

Writer and director Rajesh K Raman has been a member of the association since its early years. According to him, it is the responsibility of an artist to help youngsters. “We have several established artists in our association. All of us are trying to ensure that deserving artists get a chance in the industry,” Rajesh says.

Artists Pauly Valsan, Majeeb and director Benny P Nayarambalam too are its members.

In addition to securing chances, VAWA also provides a venue for local artists to hone their skills. Personalities from the film industry and other realms of art are also invited to such performances.

“This enhances our understanding of the art and the capabilities of the artists,” says Sippy.

Recently, the group has been hard at work to preserve Kerala’s traditional art forms. To facilitate this, they have extended activities to schools.

“We conduct camps for students with the cooperation of Sangeetha Nataka Akademi,” says Anil.

A library, P J Cherian Memorial Library, too was opened recently. “The idea is to teach young generations about the great artists from our island,” he adds.

(Written by Anna Jose)