A celebration By SSA project area Children on an occasion of Child fund India of completing successful 60 year in India
(Awareness Play by children held in the village of Chetteni)
KEY PERSONS
Alexis Roman – Director
Santosh Soni – Project Coordinator
Jeff Freeman – Volunteer material designer
Malek Ouassek – Volunteer material designer
Tanveer Kaur – Volunteer Play Director
Marco Benito – Volunteer photograph
Period:
Objective of the Play:
Engage the community in reflecting upon their ecosystem and its functioning
Educate them the relation between water, soil, trees and agricultural evolutions
Activities
On the 14th of February, the Sarvodaya Sewa Ashram organized the play in the project area village of Chetteni.
The 21st of February we started working with the elder children (10 to 15 years old) on a street play to be presented for the celebration of 60 year of Child fund India, the 2nd of March.
Thanks to the help of three volunteers, Marco Benito (photographer), Malek Ouassek (Water Engineer and drawing) and Tanveer Kaur (BA in Hindi Literature), we selected 6 children for the main actors:
Agni – Rajaraman
Vayu – Pradeep
Indra – Anil Kumar
Yaksha – Raj Kumari
Uma – Priyanka
Surya - Sakuntlal
7 other children were trained to do a sound choir to accompany the different events of the play and finally 12 children helped in playing out the animals and the manipulating the props.
Bhinu and Achana, two sewing trainers, helped us to make the costumes and make up for the children. We made the masks and décor ourselves using locally available materials and ingenuity.
Program of the 2nd of March
Abhimanyu Singh, Secretary of Sarvodaya Sewa Ashram started the program with a beautiful poem on water. Then the play started. Santosh Soni, our project coordinator narrated the play as the children acted. The play finished by a song.
The people seemed more trust worthy and deeper bond have been created with the children, which seemed to act as intermediaries with their parents.
The Play Theme: Myth based on the Kena Upanishad
Agni, Vayu and Indra were boosting about their qualities. Agni said, I can burn everything, nothing can stand on my way. Vayu said, I can blow away all that stands before me, nothing can stand on my way. Indra said, I can flood everything that stands before me, nothing can stand on my way!
As the arguments were heating up, an unknown figure appeared near them, Yaksha. Curious about the newcomer, Agni was sent to ask. As Agni approached, Yaksha asked: who are you?
Agni responded, I am the spirit/deity of fire,
Yaksha presented a blade of grass and said: burn this. Agni tried and tried but failed. Vayu then approached Yaksha.
Yaksha presented a blade of grass.Vayu blew and blew but failed.
Indra then approached Yaksha.
Indra, said,” I can drown everything.
Yaksha presented a blade of grass and said drown this. Indra rained and rained, it rained so intensely that the whole realm was covered with water. so Indra stopped. Agni heated up to evaporate the water and Vayu blew on it. As the water level came down, Yaksha had disappeared. Yet the blade of grass was still there, in the earth.
The ground started shaking and the blade of grass started growing. It grew and grew and as it grew it became a beautiful lady, Uma, the spirit/deity of nature. She told Indra: “the unknown was none other than the Absolute, Brahman itself. I, nature, am its highest manifestations.”
Indra immediately fell in love with Uma. Her green beauty, her beautiful branches, her leaves. Birds came to rest and sing on her, deers found refuge close to her, all the animals found comfort near her. Nature is their refuge, nature is the source of life.
At this understanding, Indra shed a tear and a light rain came from the sky. As the water fell on Uma, she grew. Her splendor radiated on the whole realm. Indra wanted to see Uma grow more, so that all could enjoy her beauty. So he started to pour rain. It rained and Uma grew but without the wind and the sun to consolidate, she became fragile. Her radiance dimed.
Indra horrified by what he had done, ran and took refuge in a cave. Agni and Vayu who had seen the spectacle stood mesmerized. Surya who was also looking descended from the heavens. As he approached, the water evaporated and a blade of grass sprung from the soil where Uma had lied. Agni and Vayu ran to get Indra. They arrived to see Uma rise from the earth. Yet all of a sudden, the blade of grass begun to dry up and once again withered away. Surya had come too close and all the water had gone. Indra understanding the fragile equilibrium Uma requires to live gave her a little water and allowed a little of Surya’s ray to pass through the clouds. Uma started to grow and once again radiated her beauty on the realms.
Animals once again gathered around her, flowers bloomed, trees gave fruits to eat and shade to rest, plants gave medicine to cure and the earth vegetables to consume.
Comments
Post a Comment