Dramatist in khaki

staff reporter

He wrote 28 scripts and directed 128 plays. Two of his plays bagged state school youth festival awards and another a district school youth festival award. These are some of the feather added to the cap of civil police official Vinod Mulankunnathukavu after his body became familiar with the uniform.

Vinod Mulankunnathukavu is now posted at Peramangalam police station. The profile of a civil police official has not deterred him pursuing the bit of the art instilled in him. The passion for theatre was thriving in him from the age of eight. He took the pen for portraying the life as he saw around while he was studying in St Thomas College Thrissur. Soon he found himself entering the world of theatre.
The first recognition for Vinod came in 1994 at the state polytechnic youth festival held in Palakkad. His play Bharathavakyam was selected best of the fest. That was blast-off. Chances began knocking at his door.
Plays written by him bagged prizes at schools and colleges during competitions around the state.
That was the time he started writing plays out of ONV Kurup's poem Amma and Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's Shabdhangal. Both won prizes in different festivals. Many of the private schools in the city brought trophies to their showcases by enacting plays penned by him.
The dual roles of playwright and cop have never caused to raise an eyebrow during the last 14 years. After a hectic night shift when many choose to doze off in the next morning, Vinod would throw himself into the world of theatre.
Vinod has tamed plays in Sanskrit and Hindi too. Santhosh Veerath, Prasanth C Venugopal, Rahulraj, Nitish P Krishna, Praveen Kalarikal and K Kamal lend helping hands for Vinod in his attempt to carve a niche of his own.
Now he is busy grooming students of Vivekodayam Girls Higher