Sankalp, the theatre society at MICA, celebrated Janmashtami with the lively children of “Visamo Kids Foundation” on August 22, 2011. It organised its first Rangmanch this academic year, a street-play event, performing three ten-minute skits, directed and performed by the students of MICA. The themes were Good Values, Child Labour and Peer Pressure. All communication barriers broke and a riot of laughter and fun erupted as MICAns interacted with the kids, many of whom uninhibitedly climbed on to the performers and posed for photographs in the most endearing fashion. The mingling was effortless and innocent.
The audience consisted of 50 odd children, aged between 6 years and 14 years. Performances were in simple Hindi, easy for kids to understand and relate to. The first play, directed by Kush Anand, was set in the context of schooling. It exhorted the kids to adopt the values of truthfulness, honesty and hard-work, ending with the message “Ye sab gun tum kabhi na bhulo, Unchey utho, aur aasman chhulo” (Never forget these qualities. Rise higher and reach the skies).
The second play, directed by Gaurav Nigam, was against ‘Baal Majduri’ (Child Labour). The performers brought to the notice of kids, that it is their legal right to receive education and say no to labour-work. They were made to memorise the toll-free child helpline number ‘1098’. The performance concluded with the song ‘Nanhe munne bachhey teri mutthi main kya hai, mutthi main hai takdeer humari’ (Oh! dear kid, what’s in your hand? In my hand, lies my future).
The last skit, directed by Kriti Takkar and Shitiz Dogra, demonstrated how peer pressure can influence a child into evil ways. Different situations explained how friends can lead one into missing school, disrespecting elders and even harmful addictions like smoking and tobacco use. Very smartly, the kids understood and repeated our message: “Jo humko sahi lage, wahi karna; Apni akal lagana, kisi ki baaton main na ana.” (Do only that which you think is right. Use your judgement and do not get influenced by others).
After the performances, kids wrote their loving comments on chart-papers, with dashes of smileys and exclamation marks. Jigna Shah Rathore, the eldest kid, at 14 years, said “It was superb. We enjoyed a lot. We learnt many things from the drama. They taught us good habits”. On the other hand, Dipika, the youngest kid at 4 years, chose to respond by flashing a cute smile as she ate her chocolates.
The caretaker at Visamo Kids Foundation, Ms. Niru N. Rathore, said that it was the first time ever that any group/institute had ‘performed’ at their foundation. She said, “The issues dealt with in the plays were very relevant for the kids. These kids are brought here from the very unprivileged sections and circumstances that force them into child labour and other social evils. It is indeed important that they stand up for their rights as children, discern the bad from the good, and grow into ideal citizens.”
The Visamo Kids Foundation initiated by the Calorx Foundation brings intelligent and motivated children from underprivileged backgrounds from different parts of Gujarat to Ahmedabad and gives them an opportunity to study in good English medium schools.
Sankalp regularly collaborates with NGOs through Rangmanch – a streetplay event, where students of MICA perform plays with social relevance in orphanages, old age homes, slums and under-privileged areas.
