CHENNAI: The Dhagam Foundation performed a street play depicting the complacency of law enforcement and the judiciary to the crimes committed against women after Nirbhaya at Elliot’s beach recently. The actors wore placards telling the story of the victim they are portraying, and narrated the incident to the crowd.
A completely veiled figure labelled ‘the law’ with her hands tied behind her back and chained by an ominous, imposing figure labelled ‘the government’ stood in the middle. As ‘the law’ tried to loosen herself from the clutches of ‘ the government’ and miserably failed, each victim narrated her incident and fell to the ground. Unable to bring justice to the victims, ‘the law’ finally collapsed.
As the street play unfolded, a family with two children in the audience left. The questions of the curious kids were unanswered. Ice cream served as a quick distraction. This shielding effect accurately depicted the larger picture of Indian society which most often than not, chooses to ignore harsh realities.
With only ‘the government’ standing amid dead victims, an actor labelled ‘the people’ toppled the imposing figure. Showing it is up to the citizens to shake the government when even ‘the law’ despite its numerous attempts to bring justice lies dead on the ground. The street play, which drew the attention of around 100 beach goers, ended with a candlelight vigil for the victims who were depicted in the plays.
A passing mention of Anitha, brought the police in, and the vigil was disbanded. “We worked so hard to get permission for this street play and we will keep trying to stage it in other locations. It is time we woke up and looked the government we elected in the eye,” says S Meena, director of the play, and the joint secretary of Aval, Dhagam Foundation.