Road to change through street plays

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Miranda House performs on the topic — “concerns in the Indian Medical Field”

Before the college fests start in full swing, the theatre groups of six colleges got a chance to showcase their street plays at DLF Promenade in a new initiative taken by them. The groups came up with issues concerning the society — while some thought of conventional issues like female foeticide and population control, some were prompt in addressing the causes like loopholes in the medical sector or cruelty to animals.

Politician and an active theatre person, Vani Tripathi, who was present as a judge, says that the theatre scene in college has really taken an interesting turn. “When we were in college, very few theatre groups were so active. The topics that the college kids take up show their thoughtfulness about issues concerning the society. It gives me hope for a better tomorrow,” she says and adds that theatre is a tool that uses creativity to bring about a change.
The students too feel the same. They say that they picked up the most relevant social cause after seeing the suffering of the common man. Aakash Gupta from Bhagat Singh College, that performed a play on child sexual abuse and child trafficking, thinks that these small steps would ultimately lead to a bigger change.
“I guess everybody is realising the power of performance. Till sometime back college groups used to be confined to college campuses but now we also perform at public places,” says Ankit, and adds that even if it changes one person, it will be an achievement.
It was this hope for change that compelled the students of Gargi College to take up an issue like “cruelty to animals”. Punarbhava Banik, a second year student of Political Science, who was a part of the performance, says that it’s a common tendency to ignore the sufferings of animals. “Last year, news of the killing of tigers and leopards was alarming. Through our play, we just want to bring the issue to the fore,” says Punar, who along with her group went to various government organisations working for animals to take details of cases of cruelty to animals. “Nobody helped us. We just kept going from one desk to the other,” she adds.
While Gargi College won the first prize, Maharaja Agrasen, that took up the issue of rising level of intolerance, stood second.