media
mattersResearch & Process Documentation Community Interventions
Naseeb Ke Paren,
Kya Karen Kya Na Karen
A board game on child rights
Sakhi Sajni
An exhibition to facilitate discussions around life skills for/with
adolescent girls
Mulichya Jatila
He Shobhat Nahi
A video docu-fiction on rights of adolescent girls
Chuppi Todein,
Khulkar Bolein
An interactive exhibition on youth and HIV&AIDS
Whose Dream Counts?
A documentation of a participatory learning and action (PLA) process facilitated with children's groups
Participatory Communication & Action
Report of the annual workshop - 2008
Mukt Manch
An open-to-all platform for screenings, performances, exhibitions... The idea is to come together and dialogue
| Main, Asha... |
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Hindi, 30 Mins “Main, Asha…” is a 30-min performance around the issue of sex selection followed by a discussion facilitated by group members. The performing group of media matters consists of 13 young people in the age group of 16-23 years. This volunteer group has six male and seven female members. The group came together to understand issues related to sex selection and its manifestations. They were also keen to understand and explore the use of participatory theatre that would provoke thought and initiate dialogue. The process of interacting with the group involved daily meetings, sessions by the media matters team and external resource people with an expertise on gender issues, residential and non-residential workshops on gaining theatre skills, play making, research in the field with different communities and rehearsals. The process so far has been: Since the last nine months, the group has come together through daily meetings and sessions to gain an understanding of issues related to sex selection and participatory theatre. The focus during this period was on group building, shedding inhibitions and getting introduced to social development. Specific inputs were provided by external resources persons which included:
The group participated in a field based research which brought them into contact with various communities, organizations, groups, educational institutions and health care related services. The research phase was instrumental in shaping the opinions and perspectives of the group around gender based issues, especially on sex selection. The group attended a five day residential workshop organized and facilitated by media matters at the Environment Education Centre, Talegaon, Pune. The workshop had a focus on play-making, participation, communication and facilitation. During the process, the group improvised and developed various scenes and skits on the issue. One of the efforts in developing a script was Jeeti Raho! However, following a period of field-based research, the group brought in more understanding about the underlying and basic issues. This learning helped the group in collectively evolving “Main, Asha…” “Main, Asha…” is an effort in participatory theatre. It seeks to talk about sex selection as a consequence of the deeper roots of gender imbalances and inequities in society. It therefore attempts to question lack of access of girls to opportunities for survival, growth and development; to take decisions, to live a life as human beings. Once the group was ready with its performance of “Main, Asha…” they took over the responsibility of publicizing their play and organizing shows in and around Thane and Mumbai. The process involved getting in touch with NGOs, CBOs, government departments, educational institutions, housing societies and theatre people, sharing with them the background of the group process, the concept of participatory theatre as well as the requirements of audience and performing space arrangements. The group has so far reached out to a range of audiences – students, youth research fellows, university students and faculty members, out of school girls, railway workers, theatre groups, children living in difficult circumstances, Commercial Sex Workers, girls in a government run home, NGO representatives working on gender issues, drama students, housewives and working women. Residential workshops, national seminars, events organized by CBOs among others provided opportunities for the group to perform, enter into a dialogue with the audiences and strengthen their understanding of issues. Each performance has provoked the audience into a dialogue on the issues introduced by the play. Each performance then, has provided new learnings for the group, which they try to integrate in the subsequent performances. The characters have subsequently evolved from being pitiful characters to women of substance, who face struggles since they believe in asking questions. Most of our audiences could relate to the dilemma in the play and responded with solutions, questions, doubts and confusions of their own. While some wanted clear cut solutions, there were others who identified with the dilemma of the central characters and her inability to take a decision. In either cases, the audiences could related to and empathize with the characters in the play, especially the character of Asha. Many were of the opinion that such issues will come out into the open only if more girls and women start speaking out. There were others who confronted the opinion saying that bringing a change in the status of women is not the responsibility of women alone, men need to function as active partners. At times, the discussion would flow into personal realms. Here, we met with women who cried during the performance remembering their lost childhood and dreams. The group wherever it has gone, has struck a great rapport with the audience members and formed a strong friendship with the organizers of the performances. The result is a rich network of organizations, groups and individuals eager to work around gender issues. With a belief in initiating a dialogue on the issues presented by the play, the group has successfully managed to provoke their audiences into a discussion around gender imbalances, violence against women, decision-making, empowerment, curbing malpractices around sex selection among others. During the rehearsals, the group also practiced facilitating post-performance discussions. The same would be useful in the interactions with the audience. Many a times, the group has been met with unexpected questions and they have stood up to the challenge of the moment and skillfully facilitated the process. There have also been times when the group has acknowledged an unanswered query as an important input, and promised to collect further information on the same. Humility combined with a spirit of challenge, enthusiasm, willing and eager to listen – the group’s effort in initiating dialogue has met with much success. So far, the group has been consistently performing the play across Thane and Mumbai under highly challenging conditions - studies, work hours, long hours of traveling for performances scheduled in Mumbai and the western suburbs; pressure from families, especially of the girls. Since a few of the group members work part-time to support their families, there is also a clash of the rehearsal and performance timings with their work-hours. The struggle for the female members especially is manifold. Even as the group performs on the issue of sex selection and missing girls, the group continues to face the pressure of their female-members being withdrawn from the process by their families. This however, has made the group all the more determined to negotiate with families for retaining their group strength, bring in new members and stand up to the challenge of carrying on the process The group plans to carry out a review and re-visioning process, organize workshops for new members, carry out a video documentation of the play, travel to other states with the play, and work on a new script. |
Theatre for Development
as Cultural Action
February 26 - March 3, 2009
Six-day Residential Workshop
Workshop brochure
Registration form
Learning Calendar
Trainings & Workshops in 2009
kataar!
A play on right to information
Main, Asha...
A play on sex selection
Andher Nagri,
Chaupat Raja
A play by Bhartendu Harishchandra
Chhi!
A play on solid waste management -
the struggle of a theatre group to evolve a socially meaningful play
Learning Centre
A space for collective sharing
and learning
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