NEW DELHI: A contemporary issue – pollution, is set to grab centre stage of a theatre show presented in an unconventional way. Instead of professional theatre artists, the show will have faces belonging to professions like snake charmers, behrupiyas, magicians and puppet artists.
“These artists come from marginalized and the below poverty section. The first time I had met them was during the Festival of India event. Most of them don’t have a permanent source of income.
We at Center for New Perspectives (CNP) are trying to provide a platform to these talents,” Navina Jafa of CNP said.
The show titled “Pollution Hazir Ho” directed by M. Sayeed Alam and presented by CNP takes up the relevant issue while giving it a satirical twist.
A dash of puns and witty humour is sure to leave the audience in splits.
“Courtroom drama is not a new thing. The subject pollution is also often most talked about, what’s challenging is presenting it in a format that doesn’t bore the audience.
"So we had to give life to non-living subjects such as Taj Mahal, pollution,the rivers Ganga and Yamuna. Personifying the subjects was challenging,” said Sayeed Alam, the director.
The artists came from states like Haryana, Rajasthan and some from Delhi’s Katputhli Colony.
Talking more about introducing behrupiyas, magicians as theatre artists and working with them, Alam noted that the main task was turning them from street artists to stage performers.
“It was always fun session working with these artists. As a director even I had the chance to learn a lot from them. So far they have always performed solo, without any script or dialogue. From correcting their pronunciations to guiding them to remember the lines – everything was a new experience again,” he stated.
Navina said that she and her NGO are working towards sustainable development and a permanent medium of earning for the artists.
“Art has no boundaries. We don’t ask for religion, caste before making anyone part of our group. For us, skill is important that’s the only thing that matters to us.
"We faced many hurdles like rejection from Sahitya Akademi for rehearsals, they had asked for money and we didn’t have that All we hope is that the show succeeds and the hard work of the whole team pays off,” she added.