Street theatre performance
Children in the midst of a street theatre performance at Somayanur village in Coimbatore.The village of Somayanur witnessed a street play on Pongal Day. Staged by a group of children, the public gathered around in large numbers intrigued by the unusual congregation.“Child labour and children’s rights are the underlying themes of the play we are going to enact,” the children announced. From Unjapalayam, a village where a number of children are employed in the knitware and powerloom industries, the group protested against child labour.“The group would take issues concerning the locality where they perform,” says K. Sagadevan, Coordinator of Child Rights programme of CSED. “For instance, in a place such as Thadagam in Coimbatore, where child labour is common in brick kilns, the play will focus on brick kilns,” he adds.Part of the programme for children started by the Centre for Social Education and Development (CSED), the children are now collaborating with college students and roping them into their campaign against child labour.The children are actively involved in spreading the message and attend public gatherings and temple festivals where they perform street theatre. They also take part in the NSS programmes and similar activities of colleges in order to make the college students aware of the social issues of children.
The CSED is training children, mostly rehabilitated child workers, in street theatre and empowering them to speak out against child labour. Currently it has trained five groups of children in Segidanthali, Naduvelampalayam, Sukkampalayam, Unjapalayam and Sengathurai villages in the Palladam union. The children’s street theatre group is planning to attend the Gramasabha which will be conducted on January 26 and perform for a gathering, which will have people representing more than 10 panchayats.At Somayanur, the children’s group got an opportunity to present their play at the NSS camp organised by the MSW Department of Bishop Appasamy College of Arts and Science.
