AHMEDABAD: Every case of sexual
assault gives greater urgency to the cries of
‘Stand Against Abuse’,
‘Change The Law’, or
‘No Means No’. But a Delhi-based theatre artist, Mallika Taneja, surveyed women’s boundaries defined by the ‘Be Careful’ caveat, through her monologue performance at the Conflictorium in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Known as ‘Thoda Dhyan Se’, the monologue revolves around these words of caution, central to women’s lives, irrespective of age.
As she steps on to the stage – littered with dupattas, skirts, shorts and scarves – she is bare-bodied and stands still, gazing at the audience. She gazes at spectators who gaze at her, while standing silent for a few minutes and then begins her narrative, ‘Thoda dhyaan se rehna chahiye, aapko pata nahi zamana kharaab hai’ – ‘You must be a little careful, don’t you know the world is a bad place.’ The performance touches on everyday instances in a woman’s life that are filled with the ‘Be careful’ warning and questions the logic of women being told to exercise restraint in behaviour, body language, attire and words, so that they remain ‘safe’.
“An actor uses their body in as many ways as possible to communicate,” said Mallika, who has been performing this for five years in India and abroad.
“The journey has been rich and with each performance, while I questioned this injunction, why it is imposed on women and why is it accepted, I also questioned my own biases and thankfully, undid some.”
“Despite several heinous incidents of violence and a series of public discourses, we are still fighting this injunction that continues to be imposed on just one gender. Through theatre, the performance questions this flawed logic and the pursuit will continue till the rhetoric ends,” she added.
Representative Image