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Theatre for the soul educates men, inspires women

Lalkuan is a hospitable village, filled with inquisitive people. Even before the 'dhol-master' (the drummer) can sound his call, a modest crowd of onlookers gathers around the theatre group, curious to see what is happening. The continuously beating dhol further attracts village residents, and Mrs. Abidi, the community organiser, has to resort to threatening eager children with a stick to keep them from encroaching onto the stage. Forming an inner ring, stacked up against the walls beside the performers, and on the rooftop, children have the best seats in the house. The setting is a gali, a village street which opens up to a very large red pit out of which red earth has been dug out.

Despite a scorching afternoon, the village residents enjoy the entire performance without flinching. Women, men and children watch with great interest, laughing, jeering, and clapping at the songs and jokes of the 'nat' and 'nati', the narrators of the play. But the merry atmosphere masks a very serious plot. Through the lines of the songs unfolds a story of three sisters who suffer misfortune at the hands of men.

The first of the three sisters is a working woman who is continually taunted by a street thug. When he finds out that she is engaged, he throws acid on her face. The second sister is rejected by yet another suitor because her father cannot afford the dowry demanded by the boy's family. Sitting alone in her house, sobbing over the attack on her sister, the youngest is confronted by her uncle. Upon discovering her predicament, he offers to give her a medicine that will completely cure her sister's problems. Drunken, with a gleam in his eyes, he coaxes her into a room and takes away her dignity.

Before the crowd can disperse, Mrs. Abidi questions the audience. 'Why was this play shown? Don't you see, everyday something happens in Lalkuan too!' Nodding their heads, some girls reply confidently, 'Yes, we need our identity.' A rickshaw man, red paint smeared all over his face, comments, 'Everyday we see a girl burnt for dowry.' Some young girls join the performers after the play. When asked whether they have learnt any lessons from the play, Champa, a tall girl in her teens, replies 'Nari mein josh hona chahiye' (women should be strong and assertive). The play seems to have left a positive impression on the next generation of females -- the future looks bright.

This performance was one of three that were held on March 7th and 8th in celebration of International Women's Day. As part of UNFPA's ongoing efforts to raise an awareness of women's issues in rural India, the plays were organised in association with Prerna and Mamta, two non-profit groups, and the Urvashi Arts. They were held in Lalkuan, Meethapur and Tigri, three semi-urban villages on the outskirts of South Delhi.

Well-planned and performed, the plays incited a varied response from different sections of society. At Meethapur, where the crowd consisted of mostly men, audience members seemed highly amused by certain scenes in the play, especially those in which the male character assaulted or abused the female character. One such scene involved the street thug who continually harassed one of the sisters on her way to work -- she resisted and talked back, but to no avail. She was portrayed as a strong, yet weak woman. She fought back verbally, but her actions and the tone of her voice suggested resignation. Quite a few men, and even children, found this scene amusing, and snickers could be heard during the performance.

In Tigri, a large number of women gathered to attend a function organised by Mamta. Captivated by the play, they listened intently, laughing out loud and clapping at the jokes. After the play was over, audience members were asked to come up on stage and share their thoughts on the play. Pooja, a member of Mamta, stepped up confidently on the stage and commented, "The play was shown to women. Men, too, should be shown such plays. Women should think they can walk step-in-step with men. The play has touched my heart. I felt one of the sisters was me. During the teasing, burning due to dowry, I felt it was happening to me. Why is it still happening in the year 2001? Why do the police not take our side? Why did the acid-thrower walk free? The play should have had a different plot -- why does the media always portray women as weak? Why did the sisters get killed off?'

Her comments evoked a small debate. Shri Chela, one of the few men present, spoke up, 'If the man got imprisoned, the awakening wouldn't be as strong- this play shows that it doesn't really happen. The day is not far when men and women will be equal.'

(This article was written by Shelly Sandhu, an intern with UNFPA from www.solutions-site.org)

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Theatre for the soul educates men, inspires women Lalkuan is a hospitable village, filled with inquisitive people. Even before the 'dhol-master' (the drummer) can sound his call, a modest crowd of onlookers gathers around the theatre group, curious to see what is happening. The continuously beating dhol further attracts village residents, and Mrs. Abidi, the community organiser, has to resort to threatening eager children with a stick to keep them from encroaching onto the stage. Forming an inner ring, stacked up against the walls beside the performers, and on the rooftop, children have the best seats in the house. The setting is a gali, a village street which opens up to a very large red pit out of which red earth has been dug out. Despite a scorching afternoon, the village residents enjoy the entire performance without flinching. Women, men and children watch with great interest, laughing, jeering, and clapping at the songs and jokes of the 'nat' and 'nati', the narrators of the play. But the merry atmosphere masks a very serious plot. Through the lines of the songs unfolds a story of three sisters who suffer misfortune at the hands of men. The first of the three sisters is a working woman who is continually taunted by a street thug. When he finds out that she is engaged, he throws acid on her face. The second sister is rejected by yet another suitor because her father cannot afford the dowry demanded by the boy's family. Sitting alone in her house, sobbing over the attack on her sister, the youngest is confronted by her uncle. Upon discovering her predicament, he offers to give her a medicine that will completely cure her sister's problems. Drunken, with a gleam in his eyes, he coaxes her into a room and takes away her dignity. Before the crowd can disperse, Mrs. Abidi questions the audience. 'Why was this play shown? Don't you see, everyday something happens in Lalkuan too!' Nodding their heads, some girls reply confidently, 'Yes, we need our identity.' A rickshaw man, red paint smeared all over his face, comments, 'Everyday we see a girl burnt for dowry.' Some young girls join the performers after the play. When asked whether they have learnt any lessons from the play, Champa, a tall girl in her teens, replies 'Nari mein josh hona chahiye' (women should be strong and assertive). The play seems to have left a positive impression on the next generation of females -- the future looks bright. This performance was one of three that were held on March 7th and 8th in celebration of International Women's Day. As part of UNFPA's ongoing efforts to raise an awareness of women's issues in rural India, the plays were organised in association with Prerna and Mamta, two non-profit groups, and the Urvashi Arts. They were held in Lalkuan, Meethapur and Tigri, three semi-urban villages on the outskirts of South Delhi. Well-planned and performed, the plays incited a varied response from different sections of society. At Meethapur, where the crowd consisted of mostly men, audience members seemed highly amused by certain scenes in the play, especially those in which the male character assaulted or abused the female character. One such scene involved the street thug who continually harassed one of the sisters on her way to work -- she resisted and talked back, but to no avail. She was portrayed as a strong, yet weak woman. She fought back verbally, but her actions and the tone of her voice suggested resignation. Quite a few men, and even children, found this scene amusing, and snickers could be heard during the performance. In Tigri, a large number of women gathered to attend a function organised by Mamta. Captivated by the play, they listened intently, laughing out loud and clapping at the jokes. After the play was over, audience members were asked to come up on stage and share their thoughts on the play. Pooja, a member of Mamta, stepped up confidently on the stage and commented, "The play was shown to women. Men, too, should be shown such plays. Women should think they can walk step-in-step with men. The play has touched my heart. I felt one of the sisters was me. During the teasing, burning due to dowry, I felt it was happening to me. Why is it still happening in the year 2001? Why do the police not take our side? Why did the acid-thrower walk free? The play should have had a different plot -- why does the media always portray women as weak? Why did the sisters get killed off?' Her comments evoked a small debate. Shri Chela, one of the few men present, spoke up, 'If the man got imprisoned, the awakening wouldn't be as strong- this play shows that it doesn't really happen. The day is not far when men and women will be equal.' (This article was written by Shelly Sandhu, an intern with UNFPA from www.solutions-site.org)
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