KOCHI:Kanchan Avchare has found a way to reach out to people. The theatre artist from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, quit her IT job to put her heart and soul into acting to create awareness on issues related to women.
Her solo act, ‘Happily Tagged Ever’, is a feminist play showcasing how women are constantly labelled. “These days, labels have become so normalised. We often hear people judging and tagging others based on their characters and appearances. Who gives them the right to do this? And sometimes, we ourselves complain about the way we are. This happens because society tells us to behave, dress and speak in certain ways. This play is about these labels and more,” says Kanchan.
The play also addresses the everyday problems women face and the multiple roles they take up in their lives. She says, “The most basic issue that has to be addressed is menstruation. This is often a taboo topic even within families. People need to know more about sustainable sanitary products and the likes.”
The play, born as a result of a solo play competition in Pune, has been performed in many places in Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai and Pune and Thiruvananthapuram, and is set to be shown in Technopark next month, in addition to the three earlier performances in Manaveeyam Veedhi, Vithura and Poojapura.
“This play had a small beginning. I was working in IT when I first performed it, I wrote and directed it. It did not need a stage set up, just a chair and my costume and makeup. In this way, it can be performed anywhere and has the potential to reach more people,” says Kanchan.
She believes that people who go to watch theatre performances on a daily basis are aware of the ways of the world, but the common public, who need to be exposed more to such plays with a strong message. Kanchan came to Kerala to participate in a theatre workshop last year and then stayed back to learn kalaripayattu. Slowly, she started to work with local theatre groups like Nireeksha and organise theatre workshops across the city.
Performing in streets and open spaces, the responses Kanchan receives for her performances are vibrant. “Girls come up to me and start discussing how they can relate to it. Some are happy to know that they are not alone, while some others do not agree with the entire concept of the play,” she says. Currently working on her solo play, Kanchan plans to perform at a series of venues across the major cities in the country and to collaborate with NGOs and charitable organisations.
Kanchan wrote and performed in plays in her school days. She thinks that pursuing one’s passion is more important than financial security. “People look down on theatre and other arts as a career option, but what they forget is that this is what sustains life. I left acting at school, but later when I started working, I joined theatre groups. Then I realised this is my true calling. Theatre and drama can truly inform the public about relevant issues,” she says. Kanchan hopes to write several plays that will talk to the world about women and inspire them to not stay quiet.