Come, save the environment

Ouch! Cried Planet Earth will hit the stands tomorrow, while a play based on the book will be staged on December 4 as part of NCPA’s ongoing Centrestage festival.

A new book on the environment will be launched simultaneously as a play. Ouch! Cried Planet Earth will hit the stands tomorrow, while a play based on the book will be staged on December 4 as part of NCPA’s ongoing Centrestage festival.

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“We had planned offbeat activities to launch the book — a creative writing competition for school children as well as the play, which will be enacted by underprivileged children from St Catherine of Siena School and Orphanage,” says author Dheera Kitchlu. “Only one show has been planned, but let’s see what happens.”

Kitchlu hopes that the book’s storyline and covert teaching methods will manage to attract children and teach them simple methods to do their bit for the environment. “Ouch! was conceived as a story that deals with the fast degrading environment, animals such as the tiger on the verge of extinction and other child-centric woes such as bullying and gender issues,” she says. “I didn’t only wish to convey the sorry state of Planet Earth, but to suggest ways that each child can help secure their own future and well being.”

Of the performance, the author says that although her script will remain the same, it has been adapted for destitute children. “English is not their first language,” she explains. “It has been modified to suit their requirements.”