KOCHI: The 30-year-old has organised over 1,900 sessions across the country
An art aficionado-turned-activist finds one unique and unparalleled way to reach out to the minds of multitudes. He then decides to take an untrodden path—psychodrama—to enlighten youth and the under-privileged sections of society.Meet 30-year-old Praveen Varghese Thomas, a PhD scholar, who has so far organised more than 1,900 orientation classes across the country.
Mostly he upholds the medium of psychodrama, putting his faith in its purging power. Drama, according to Praveen, has the quality to add hues to the humdrum of daily life. As such, he uses psychodrama as a wand to transport his audience to a parallel reality, where they are given a chance to have a glimpse of their own reality as a detached observer and prompts them to find a denouement to their problems.
Psychodrama, an action technique in group therapy, traces back its origins to 20th century Romanian-American psychiatrist, psychosociologist and educator J L Moreno. But what made Praveen think of using this instrument of transformation was his experience as a social worker in the slums of Punjab. “It was in 2013 that I happened to work in the slums of Moga and Chandigarh in Punjab as part of my research. Popular theatre was my tool in research data collection.
In the beginning, many children were hesitant to open up. But then, I came across a boy who used to dramatically narrate his experiences - in a way re-enacting events of his past. It inspired me to exploit the possibilities of spontaneous dramatic activity to explore their lives. When I told other kids to act in front of me their living experiences, they enthusiastically joined in,” says Praveen, who is a recipient of Young Professionals Fellowship at Commonwealth Youth Programme, Asia Centre.
Since then, Praveen is keen to add the essence of psychodrama in his awareness classes. He even dreams of freeing psychodrama from being labelled as pseudoscience and to use it as an intervention strategy for propelling the audience into introspection.
“Doubling” is one of the methods of this specific genre used by Praveen. According to him, it helps recreate emotions and recognise repressed traumas that might possibly hinder the potential of a person or create a rift in relationships. He has performed for a local NGO ‘Centre for Life Skill Training and Research’ and at a programme organised by Mar Thoma Church in Chengannur to impart awareness on drug abuse. He even invented a character called ‘Soulman’ along his journey. He upholds the idea of “experiential learning” in his training sessions for kids.
On his future prospective, Praveen says he wants to use art to help people mend broken family bonds. “Increasing rate of divorce is a cause of concern in our times. I believe, psychodrama will help couples step outside the constraints they have set for themselves, understand the point of view of others and thereby overcome enmeshment,” says Praveen. Art forms like this, according to Praveen, are neither solely meant for the intelligentsia nor for the eccentric. And as such, he wields it to serve the purpose of social commitment and reach out to the common man.