KOCHI
: In his early days of acting career in theatre,
Maradu Joseph
acted in a play of
Muttathu Varkey
titled '
Vazhi Thurannu
'. The play was about a protest seeking the opening of a road and Joseph's character was a neighbour of the hero.
Joseph, who is going to celebrate his 91st birthday on Wednesday, is still knocking on the doors of Tripunithura municipality authorities to get a path to his house. Joseph had acted in plays of stalwarts like P J Antony,
N N Pillai
, K T Mohammed and others during his heydays.
"When we came here 24 years ago, there was a path which had a width to move an autorickshaw. Now, its width is only less than three feet as people encroached it over the years. Now, we have to depend on the compound of a neighbour's house to reach the main road. A canal is flowing nearby and if authorities pave slabs over it, it will be of great help to us," said Joseph sitting at the house, with wife Mary and daughter Merittle.
Along with acting, he used to sing songs till the 1970s. Despite all his achievements, the government turned a blind eye to his plight. He even approached the cultural department to get financial aid for treatment, but to no avail. He has been selected for this year's Job Master Award.