A scene from the play Shout: Your Voice Matters.
Fear, guilt, shame, sadness and anger — these are some of the emotions which a child goes through when he or she is subjected to any kind of abuse, psychologists believe. Most children choose to keep silent, either due to the fear that they would be blamed for what happened or that no one would believe them.
Akansha Rangbhoomi, in association with Dnyana Devi Pune Childline, presents ‘Shout: Your Voice Matters’, a play that deals with all kinds of abuses that children are subjected to: verbal, physical, emotional, sexual, bullying and also online bullying. The play, produced by Dnyana Devi Pune Childline, will premiere at Sudarshan Rangmanch on August 4 at 7 pm.
Dnyana Devi Pune Childline, a part of Childline, is a 24-hour, toll free, emergency phone service for children in distress.
Childline is a national programme currently operational in 83 cities in the country and is monitored by National Childline Foundation and supported by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Dnyana Devi is anchoring the service in Pune.
Saggherr Loadhii, director of the play, says, “I have been working on this play for the past one year. The initial months went into research, which involved going through case studies handled by Childline and meeting people who could throw light on the subject. Later, the actors involved in the play wrote monologues, poems and scenes that could capture the topic. We began rehearsing for the play two months ago.”
The play borrows from the plots of three famous fairy tales — Alice in Wonderland, The Pied Piper and The Princess Who Never Smiled — and improvises on them with a touch of the reality of today’s world.
“Given that the play deals with child abuse of various types, in these fairy tales, we have weaved in the incidents of abuse. For instance, a little princess who has been quiet for many days, becomes scared and runs away when a man from her father’s kingdom touches her to ask why she doesn’t smile. While Alice goes to Wonderland in the original story, in our play, Alice visits the real world and realises that the world is not safe for kids. The Pied Piper of our play takes away all the children and tells the parents to make the world a better place if they want their children back,” says Loadhii.
Formed 13 years ago, Akansha Rangbhoomi believes in showcasing works that not only entertain the audience but also touch upon real-life issues.
For instance, one of their productions, Pariviksha, dealt with tribal weddings, another one titled Saraeet, was based on juvenile crimes. The play People who buffer, portrayed the problems faced by stammerers, while Vakhari Dhoos, showcased beedi workers fighting for their rights.
