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Theatre of Relevance – instilling faith in Humanity in Red Light areas!
-Manjul Bhardwaj
These were restless moments. I was waiting for the participants at workshop venue. My anxiety was at peak. I was anxious. I was anxious from the moment I accepted the invitation to facilitate this life changing workshop. Never before in was I so conscious that I reached the venue 4 hours before the scheduled time. I was churning within designing the workshop from various points of views. I was planning different backups & alternatives. The real challenge was by body. A body like me thrashes them whole night & day as an object. A body like me was making them captive in dark, dim tiny rooms for flesh. Their life was just to sell their bodies for sexual pleasure for others & lifelong pain for themselves. I was having that body. A male body was afraid to be rejected as a facilitator.
As I was engaged with in myself a bus arrived in the workshop campus. The participants were 40. As they were getting down from the bus I saw them & wrote a poem in Hindi.
“यहाँ”
श्रंगार रस , व्यथित है
दर्दमयी प्रस्तुति है
बिखरा..बिखरा
टूटा-टूटा विखंडित
अस्तित्व है
..........
डरा-डरा मन
सहमा अहसास
टूटे नकाब से
झाँकतें चहरे
कल्पते,तडपते ख्याब
एक आसमान की तलाश में
Here and Now,
Aggrieved is her passionate adornment, spruced sentiments...
Or isn't it mere, a gasping affair,
Waking to the shards of shattered existence,
Dwelling in confused, disheveled, invisible presence,
Sinking endlessly into damp horrific dark,
Clutching to bleeding agonized emotions, oh! So traumatized,
Peeping hopelessly from my broken disguise,
Through silent wailings of my dithering dreams,
I am in forever search of thy eternal sky....
(Translation by Smriti Raj)
My all worries vanished. I just saw human being looking forward to meet another human. Mostly all the participants were illiterate but had a struggling experience, survived in all odds & looking forward for a new identity. First challenge was over I was accepted as a facilitator.
Perception battle is universal and particular in Indian society. More vulnerable when concerned with women. So when one want to break the vicious web of exploitation then the person need a steely resolve to deal with the stigmatization by society.
I asked the participants to come out in the open, asked to stand in a circle. They formed a big circle. There were tree, swing & other object at this open space. I asked the participants to hold hands of each other while standing in the circle. The participants surrounded trees, swing & other objects in their circle. I came out of the circle and asked the participants to follow me without breaking the circle while holding each other’s hand. There was a chaotic situation. First the group was facing a challenge of leadership. Who will lead whom? Second How to cross the big trees (around 20 feet) & other objects without leaving hands. I asked the group do you want to come out from your past. The group replied yes! Then I asked do you believe you can come out. The group replied yes! Then I asked apply your mind. After a short silence the group started their efforts. After initial confusion & chaos innovation took over the group. They made human pyramid to cross over small objects & trees. For big tree they use their chunnis (scarf) as a rope to cross over the big tree. After hours of struggle the group collectively cross all hurdles & reached their destination. They led each other while leading themselves. Leading thyself & society is essential for new identity in life.
They were bit exhausted but overwhelmed by their victorious collective actions. In open, means in public they resolved, thrown their fear of what people will say & unfurled their chunnis as their liberation flag. I applauded their victory and asked all of them to jump in the swimming pool. In the victorious mood every one jumped in the swimming pool. As they touched water, all of them started crying. All 40 participants were crying together in a swimming pool. It was a very touchy scene. I allowed them. It was like someone threw water on a hot frying pan. All guilt was being evaporated in air. All blames, accusations were washed away. After 2 hour every one came out as a human soul looking forward for a new life!
In the evening we all sat near the sea side. I asked the group to sing songs. The participants sang wonderful songs. Each song was telling their stories, commitment, and zeal to live & resolve for new identity.
The process of change grasped the group in its folds. Hope was illuminating in each participant. I gave a different object to each participant like green leave, dead leave, stone, flowers etc. I asked how you identify with the given object. What are the qualities you have to create a new identity for yourself?
Naya jeevan, a resolve of new life was echoing in each participant. This was a three day residential “Theatre of Relevance” workshop organized in 2002 (by an organization who works for the betterment of women in red light areas) to develop sense of dignity, self-esteem and selfhood for new life. The workshop emancipated the participants. They were all rehabilitated for a new life. I must confess all the participants emancipated me from my body to a human being! An unforgettable experience!
.. to be continued…
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