The Unit II Market Building was abuzz on a lazy Sunday morning. Irrespective of the blaring horns of vehicles, a sizeable crowd gathered in the area to see a group of youngsters sing and act to deliver a message on impact of polythene on environment. The youngsters, students of KIIT University and part of its theatre group Kash, enthused the crowd with their street play, which was aimed at creating awareness on discarding polythene due to the environmental threat it poses.
Through songs and a 15- minute skit, the youths sent across the message that protecting earth from the hazards of polythene was in the hands of people. With plastic ban yet to be completely effective in the Capital city, the street play was initiated by Diabetes Entertainment Limited, a Bhubaneswar-based freelancing visual entertainment services group.
The script, created by Ved Prakash of Kash, spoke about the hazards of using non-biodegradable plastic and how it harms the environment in the long run. The street play also explained about plastic alternatives like jute and cotton bags or bags made out of recycled material like old newspapers. While two members of the theatre group - Somak Gupta and Farakh Abbas - played the role of plastic bags, the rest concentrated on killing the two. Their performance held the crowd waiting for more inspite of the occasional drizzle.
'The street play was conceptualised in the last one month by 'Kash' and the Diabetes Entertainment team. Sending out a social message on polythene ban had become the need of the hour as there are still many people who use polythene on a day-to-day basis,? said a member of 'Kash', Karthik Bhagat. Throughout the skit, the actors interacted with the audience urging them not to use non-biodegradable plastic and also gave them samples of the bio-degradable polythene that can be used.
This is for the first time that a street play was organised in the city on plastic ban. For the last few years, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and several social organisations have been trying to create awareness among people about polythene and effective implementation of the ban.
'There's perhaps no better way to get a message across to the people more effectively than a street play. For, it is staged right in the middle of people and not on an elevated platform creating a distance between the performers and the audience. BMC has been working in the right earnest to curb the use of polythene, but a street play on the subject is a welcome change,' said BMC mayor Ananta Narayan Jena, who attended the event. 'Our motive is to bring a positive change in the society in whatever way possible. Non-biodegradable plastic does not decompose and poisons the surrounding in which it is dumped. People should know this and refrain from using it at all,' said Dayanidhi Dahima, one of team members of Diabetes Entertainment team.
Apart from the Mayor, MP Prasanna Patsani and Ollywood actor Akash Dasnayak were present.