Courtesy – internet
The woman of today is headstrong. She walks shoulder to shoulder with men. She is more in your face. She likes to enjoy life and bask in merriment. She is her own queen. That could be one way of seeing things in the modern day scenario. The flipside still remains that the sacrifice of the many Damini’s, Gudiya’s and Chhoti’s who fell prey to perverts has not brought much change in the way the Indian woman is treated on the streets of India.
A woman at 90 is as vulnerable to be abused as is a 2 and a half year old child. A male often proves his masculinity by overpowering or harassing a woman. Inherent hate for a woman is visible when the girl child often considered a burden is killed in the womb. Discrimination in society, dowry deaths, acid attacks are much too common.
Amity School of Languages, Dramatics Club, Mimesis presented a street play Dastak written by the Asmita theatre group. The play highlighted the atrocities that women face in public places and even behind closed doors. The play calls for zero tolerance towards crimes against women. It underscores that domestic violence is the frontline of war against women. It emphasizes on the need to stop body shaming.
Dressed in black and red the scene was set for a perfect Nukkad Natak with a traditional clarion call for people to gather to witness the street theatre act. Marching past the corridors of Amity the artists set the mood by virtue of chants of Suno Suno Bhai suno suno Natak Waale aa gaye. Posters and dhol chants of slogans and shlokas added to the very mood outside the Canteen at AB 6.
The play perfectly makes full of cheesy Bollywood songs and sleazy comments to recreate that very moment when a girl, a mother, a sister or a girlfriend irrespective of age is being targeted. Be it for a broken relation. Be it in the hands of stalkers. Those who are enticing women by way of offering goodies or even forcing themselves on a woman who proves to be easy prey.
The street theatre act makes full use of hard hitting punchlines that encapsulate the very essence of what is happening on the streets of the country, even as we speak.
The street theatre act asks a pertinent question, why does one forget that next time it could be your relatives who would be haraased on streets. Why question a woman’s character? Why do we deny that such acts take an emotional toll on the woman, girl or child. Increasingly women across the board are being made to suffer in silence where there is no freedom of movement and speech for them.
As a message sent out strongly to the public the theatre group says we will have to shun the laidback attitude and speakup and act. Blaming the police and administration does not suffice. Why only teach women to dress and behave why not ask the men of today to respect womankind.
Those helming the act say that more often than not the policy turns out to be Maine kuch nahi dekha irrespective of the fact that a crime happens in front of one’s eye.
The act eggs you to raise your voice when harassment happens. “Harassment is now becoming the new normal. We also do not bother to standup and stop wrongdoing. Outraging a girl or a woman across age groups is now becoming the new normal in society.” say the actors by way of dialogue delivery.
If we are to fight discrimination and injustice against women we must start from home.
If women cannot stay safe at home they will not stay safe anywhere. We must stop body shaming.
You may write me down in history with your bitter twisted lies, you may trod me in the very dirt. But like dirt I will rise.
We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced.
No woman has to be victim to physical abuse. Women have to feel like they are not alone.
No for anything means no. – These are lines on a beautifully designed poster that sums up the sentiment well.
A punchline – Ya to unhe goli maar diya jaata hai, nahi to uspe tezaab daal diya jaata hai calls for an inward look for the male dominated bastion.
The final curtain call happens with the reciting of the iconic lines of Shankar Shailendra’s Tu Zinda Hai.
Moreover as the day saw art coupled with a message playout in the corridors of Amity, we Amitians could not help but revel in the glory of the magnanimity of our thought.
コメント