CHENNAI : Just as the curtains are ready to draw on this academic year, it is the period of annual days — Schoolchildren wearing colourful costumes, applying makeup, holding props in their hands, and waiting enthusiastically to get on stage and performing for which they have been practising for weeks. Keeping up with this tradition is Ramana Sunritya Aalaya (RASA), a non-governmental organisation that uses theatre arts as a tool to empower children with disabilities.
For their annual day, which is more of a culmination of their learning throughout the year, the members of the organisation are staging ‘Bharatambe’, a unique theme where the founder of RASA and musician Ambika Kameshwar depicts the lives of saints with symbols, told through Mother India. “Each symbol signifies a quality which can be applied in real-life situations. For example, lotus or flowers in working waters denote that the environment does not matter for one to flower. Lion, the king of the jungle does not need anyone to endorse that it is the king but its being shows royalty,” says Vaishnavi Poorna, deputy director of RASA.
The theme, finalised by one of the students of the organisation, presents a few events from the lives of saints, Swami Narayanan, Padmapadacharya, Neem Karoli Baba, Guru Nanak, and Sri Ramana Maharshi. The selected moments signify a quality that is adaptable to everyday life.
Ambika is the brain behind the production. She researched on the lives of the saints, curated storylines, dialogues, lyrics, and music, and facilitated eight trained professionals for choreography. They taught choreography to about 240 children from seven different schools in one to three weeks for two hours each day. This year, students of Classes 3 and 4 of Vijay Vidya, a primary school are also a part of this programme. Explaining the process, Vaishnavi says, “Every year, RASA reaches out to six special schools in the city for this event. They are trained every week in life skills through the aspects of theatre, which includes dance, music, drama, storytelling, and arts and crafts.”
This two-hour production is open to the public and there is something for everyone in the audience. “Children can relate to Swami Narayanan for his resilience. And it gives a new association and experience to the music and dance lovers,” says Vaishnavi. She adds that everyone in their lives is in a race to achieve, when we pause for a second and introspect why we are doing what we are doing, that pause is “the reason to come and watch Bharatambe.”
‘Bharatambe’ will be held today at 6.15 pm at Narada Gana Sabha. Entry free.