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Shot of nukkad natak: Artistes raise awareness for Covid vaccine in Delhi
Young performers, who were roped in for a Street Theatre Fellowship programme executed by Sahitya Kala Parishad, are performing across the Capital to motivate people to get vaccinated.
If you come across a group of youngsters engaged in nukkad nataks (street theatre) in your neighbourhood, wonder not. These are the new foot soldiers working towards raising awareness on vaccination and Covid safety protocols, as the Capital continues to ready itself for a possible third wave of Covid-19 pandemic.
“These artists were roped in a Street Theatre Fellowship programme executed by Sahitya Kala Parishad, in order to develop a thriving art and culture scene in Delhi. But, after a hiatus caused by the second wave, we re-evaluated our priorities and decided to use the same performers to reach out to masses in the rural areas of the city, where people often don’t abide by safety measures,” says Garima Rohilla, project coordinator of the fellowship that was granted to around 500 artistes, this January, adding, “Many people have their doubts and are hesitant to go out and get themselves vaccinated. Seeing a performance in their locality is surprising for them, and we hope to catch their attention and send across a positive message, which will hopefully inspire them to get vaccinated and ask their family members to do so as well.”
The performers are from diverse backgrounds such as theatre, music, dance and fine arts, and have been divided into 45 groups of 10 artists each, to perform once a week at different locations in the city, with the support of nodal officers. Ajay Singh Rajput, one of the performers who has been a theatre artist for two years, shares, “Our group has so far performed in areas like Bawana and Narela. Through our skits, we send out messages like don’t shake hands when you meet people, and the importance of wearing a mask and keeping a sanitiser handy. The performance can go on for 20-25 minutes, if the audience responds well.”
“The ability to create an impact through our medium is what inspires all of us,” says Prashant Tomar, another young theatre artiste, confessing that he’s feeling glad to be able to serve a larger social cause through this performing arts: “We practice, and put up the skits in a day or two; many a times we improvise during the live act. And we often spend all our stipend ( ₹5,000/ month) on our performances! We feel, the need of the hour is an initiative to remove taboo and misinformation in areas that don’t have access to the right information. Even if we can inspire one person to get vaccinated, in the current scenario, our efforts would be worth it!”
Author tweets @bhagat_mallika
