City students spread social awareness through theatre

From violence against women to corruption to road safety to honour killing, society today is plagued by these issues and there is a need for awareness and change.
With this in mind, several college students have formed or are part of theatre groups that work towards spreading awareness. Most of these youngsters are drawn to this field because of the opportunity to explore different characters and contribute in a small way in talking about change.
Rajan Desai, a student of BVP-Engineering, says, “I performed the lead role in Vijay Tendulkar’s play Ashi Pakhare Yeti which is about the relationship between two people. The increasing number of divorce cases is a major issue now and this play talks about the efforts that both sides need to put in to nourish a relationship. I have also performed in street plays that create awareness about the use of helmets while riding, domestic violence, honour killing and the like.” Like Rajan, other students too are regularly participating in plays so as to put their passion to good use. Bhagyashree Bidkaar and Prachi Lalage of VCK College say, “Every play that we’re a part of have a social message. Alcohol abuse is on the rise in India. Female foeticide too is another major social issue in our country where goddesses are worshipped but the girl child is killed. Through our acts, we try and show the audience the importance of respecting women and treating them as equals.”
Other students of VCK, Amar Kulkarni and Shantanu Patil say that theatre and movies have a huge impact on the audience. “They are great mediums to get a message across. Plays force you to think,” says Amar, adding, “We as a group always try to leave a social message. We recently performed plays on village life, caste system, the drought, and so on.” All these students have won awards for their acting skills and the plays they’ve presented at youth festivals. Anant Patil of SIBER who won the ‘Best actor’ (2012-13) award at a youth festival in the city, has performed plays depicting the life of mentally and physically challenged people. “Literature, drama and art have connected people for centuries now. We recently performed street plays on social issues to create awareness. This year, our group performed at 10 companies in the city to create awareness about safety at work with a focus on the use of helmets, gloves, etc,” he says.
Theatre is a mirror of society, feel Kedar Athanikar and Atul Musale of SIBER college. “Theatre is a pure form of art which helps sensitise people. Issues like marriage, medical malpractices, etc are taken up on this platform to hopefully bring about change,” says Kedar.