Children unite to send a message

On Sunday evening, the cool lawns of Horniman Circle Gardens became an impromptu theatre for young dramatists and singers who highlighted the issues with skits and songs in Hindi, English and Marathi. The event was part of the ‘Theatre Festival’ at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, 2014.

Mumbai, with its long commutes, the high cost of living, and the race to succeed in life, is not an easy place to live. Substance abuse is often a subsequence of stressful lives.

On Sunday evening, the cool lawns of Horniman Circle Gardens became an impromptu theatre for young dramatists and singers who highlighted the issues with skits and songs in Hindi, English and Marathi. The event was part of the ‘Theatre Festival’ at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, 2014.

Around 300 people watched students from St Mary’s SSC, G D Somani Memorial, Children’s Academy and Sandesh Vidyalay Park Site perform award winning entries from ‘Voices’, an annual inter-school event held by Salaam Bombay Foundation in October 2013 at Rangsharda auditorium. Called ‘Life in a Metro’, the six skits and songs came with messages in the end about the futility of suicide and the wretched deaths that await tobacco abusers.

"It is a one-of-its-kind programme because both private and government schools are part of it," said Kajal Shah of Salaam Bombay Foundation.

One group performed a short spoof on a childhood lost in school exams, tuitions and social media. One play suggested that at the rate children are using fingers to play games, write messages and access information through handheld devices, doctors will need to specialise in treatment of finger injuries.

Later in the evening, another play ‘Postcards from Bardoli’ was staged at the House of Tales venue. Today, you can watch Rashomon Blues, a play in Hindi by Ranga Theatre, at Horniman Circle Gardens at 7.30 p m. M C Ghia Hall will host Draupadi, a play in Hindi by The Films and Theatre Society, New Delhi, at 6.00 pm.