Drishti -The Vision.

New Comers........

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:43:00 +0000

It was a great day.We were expecting the newcomers !!! A bunch of them marched in to be a part of the drishti with a lot of enthusiasm. A warm welcome and a lot of ice -breaking exercises was enough to let them know that DRISHTI was fun guarenteed !!!We then screened a documentary on waste management since that was the concept of our next play.The day's session was a lot of fun and we sure did learn a lot bout waste management.

TIME TO INTRODUCE THE BUDDING TALENTS........

ARUN I JPEng
TUTU I JPEng
ASHVATHI I JPEng
NIKHITA I JPEng
SONIA I JPEng
PRIYANKA I JPEng
TEENA I EPS
VARSHINI I JPEng

Drishti Does It Again For Child Rights.........

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:41:00 +0000

Drishti as a team in just 4 days has come up with a play on Child Rights !! A lot of dedication and teamwork helped us put up a great performance.Go through the script because it's worth reading and make sure you check out the SLIDE as well!

Nataka Nataka Beethi Nataka, Nataka Nataka beethi Nataka
Banniranna banniri Natakava Nodiri, Bannirakka banniri Natakava nodiri
Duddilla Kaasilla beedi Nataka,and it goes on... Are your wondering what this is all about? This is the opening song for most of the street plays in karnataka which happens mainly to gather the attention of the crowd.By singing this, we all come into a circle and begin the play.....

FATHER(Venu):{enters as a drunkard and screams at his son} Hey.... come here.Look at him,he is just 7yrs old and he wants go to school it seems! Though his mother ,sister ,I all of us work, the money that we earn is not sufficient for our home. In such a situation he wants to go to school . I’ll take you to the land lord and get you some work. You also contribute some money to the family.... (the father takes his son to the land lord )

LAND lORD (Bharath): Yes,What brings you here, so early in the morning?
FATHER: Lord can you give him some job? We are in a financial crisis so please do something for my child, lord.
LAND lORD: You don't have to worry about it, I'm here to help you all. Leave him here, I'll look after him. See there in the field, there are many people working in the land, let him be one of them.
FATHER: Thank you lord.
(the boy is not ready to work and he starts crying)
(another person enters)
GOUDA (Pradeep): What's happening here Budi?
LAND lORD: Look Gowda, his name is Mada, you know that he is a drunkard, he wants his son to get some work in my land, so we are discussing about....
GOUDA: Hey what Budi, do you think he is going to work? He is just 7 years old,
(ALL: he is only seven years old) look he is still a kid. How can he work?
LAND lORD: Gowda, you know what, though he is just seven years old he can learn far more practical skills in six months here than from sitting at school and listening to your boring lectures... And not only that I'll make him work for 8 hours and pay little money.... these are all business tricks, UNDERSTAND?
GOUDA: I don't understand, do whatever you want....(every body pause and the boy stands up to speak)
PUTTU (Prakash): My name is Puttu, I am only seven years old, I would like to go to school. My father is a drunkard and he wants me to work. This bald land lord makes to me to work for long hours and pays me very little money and does not allow me to take a minute's rest.... Do you think I'm the right person to work,DON'T I HAVE A RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL? ,DON'T I HAVE THE RIGHT TO STUDY? Is any one listening, is any one listening?
(First scene ends there)

(Everyone enters a hotel. A boy works in the hotel)

BOY(pandu): Sir....( looking at the hotel owner)
OWNER (Akil): Hey stupid, what time is it? When are you coming?...( shouts at boy and slaps him)...
Customer1: Aeeeee....get me one plate idly soon.
Customer2: Drags the boy and orders Masala dosa
Staff: Hey, did you wash the vessels?
Customer3: (screaming)Get me one coffee NOW .
(The boy delays... Every body shouts: Where is my order? Where is my order? The boy starts crying (the group covers him), he suddenly screams and breaks free from the group...........
Boy: I have right to education and not to work. (The group repeats the slogan once again. EVERY CHILD HAS A RIGHT TO EDUCATION ........)

Second scene ends here

It is a school scene and all the students are sitting in the class and singing a song that goes thus { Pallikudam pogalam, naame puttagattavangalama( can we go to school and shall we buy the books and teacher enters in classroom)}
The teacher enters.
Students: Good morning sir
Teacher (Arun): What is this, the only thing you do is make noise all the time, at least respond for your roll calls....(And then he starts calling out the names) Ajay (yes sir), Govinda (present sir), Venu. Everybody: He is absent, sir.
Teacher: This bagger is always like this, every day he comes late
Kid (venu): Excuse me, sir. May I come in?
Teacher:Oh yeah, come. (takes the stick, beats him black and blue.Then he orders the kid to kneel down whole day).(First bell goes, second bell goes and continuously bell rings for every hour till the 8th hour. Then the boy cries and finally he fall)
Students: Sir, Venu fell down.
Teacher: Let him, he deserves it..... (Boy stands up)
Kid: I have a right against brutal punishment.
Students: Every child has right against brutal punishment

Third scene ends there

A Street scene in which every body drives vehicles and when the red signal comes on everyone stop their vehicles.(A song goes like this): bike bike bike yellowdi bike,bike bike bike yellowdi bike, bikey nam thayi, bikey nam thande, bikey thane ellakanowou......

(Another song from street children that goes like): Shivappa kayo thande mooru loka swamy deve, hasiveyannu thalallare kapadaya, shivane kapaday!
Street Children:(begging) Sir, sir sir, anna anna
Person 1: Ey, get lost.
Person 2: I have no change....
Person 3: Pushes them.....
Pause
A gentle man(Arun)comes and says : Every child has right to education and basic shelter, not to beggary... (the team repeats the same).

Fourth scene end

Child soldiers; senior beats a child soldier and another force to kill the few people....the terrorists gang make the kids to suffer, they torture them ....they hit them, they punch them and does everything that makes their lives a living hell....

Commando1 (Venu): Picaso........ Come here, shoot them
Picasso (boy/prakas): no,,, I can't, I can't shoot them...
Commando1: shoot the boy... the boy dies
Commando1: hey you , come here. You shoot them
Surya (boy2/pandu): I can't...
commando2(Vishal): If you dont shoot, them we'll kill you just like your friend and we'll kill all your family members....
Surya: Dont do that, I...I'll kill them.(the boy shoots)
The innocent people have been victims.......

A person(Vishal)enters and says : Is any one listening, see this is happening in many developing countries. The kids are being victimized by some groups and they force the kids to do things like this, where kids are supposed to carry the books they are holding the guns and bombs in their hands, facing huge problems everyday and girl soldiers end up being raped by these demons. Who is responsible for these kind of cruel things being done by the groups, so RAISE YOUR VOICE AGAINST CHILD SOLDIERS...
(The team screams and delivers the same slogan) RAISE YOUR VOICE AGAINST CHILD SOLDIERS........

The scene ends there.

Another school scene; wherein

Teacher(venu): (Screams) Pappu come here. What is this? What you have written? Instead of '6' you have written '9', instead of 'b' you have written 'd' and instead of '7' you have written 'L' and instead of 'l' you have written 'i'. What is all these nonsense? When are you gonna learn these basic things? I want meet your parents and you should bring them tomorrow..... (With angry face, he pauses)
Class: hay, pappu cant study sala, hey pappu can’t study sala.....
Pappu (arun): Hey, may tho bindaas, facing the students! (Bell rings and class gets over)

All the kids run to field and they start playing foot ball.... Pappu gets a freekick.
Prakash: Pappu ,come on you can do it, you can pappu, shoot? (Pappu misses , he hits somewhere else) Other kids: Hey pappu can't play sala, and hey pappu can’t play sala......
Pappu: Hey, hame tho bindaas.... (Pappu comes home; his father is sitting on the chair holding news paper and his brother is reading.)
Pappu: pappa, I got my report card. Teacher asked me to get signature of yours in the report card and they have called you, they want to meet you, it seems...
Father (Pandu): Yup, I have been waiting for you and to see your report card,
Pappu: take pappa
Father: give my child,(sees the card)pappu what is this, your is this your performance, what did you write in your exams, single digits in all the subjects... I'm not happy with this, look at your brother he gets, around 95% in all the subjects, you should learn from him.... beats pappu
Pappu: no pappa, no pappa, please stop beating me... I can study well further... pause for moment and
Pappu: pappa, while coming from the school I got this on road, could you tell me what this is, (pappu gives a box to his father)
Father: I don’t know what it is. It’s written in Chinese...
Pappu: I wanna know, I want to know... (The whole team shouts I wanna know)
Father: since It’s written in Chinese, how can I read it, I don’t understand... Everybody pause
Pappu: Same as you, If I dont understand my subjects how can I study well?
Team: baap ko samjavo, dimak ki bathijalavo...
Pappu: every child has right to expression.
Team: (Repeats) every child has rights to express(three times)

And with that the script comes to an end and our Assistant Director Mr. Sharath comes on stage and explains about the child rights and the child sponsorship programme of CENTRE FOR SOCIAL ACTION, CHRIST UNIVERSITY......

Wow, Drishti: Did some thing significant by putting the Child Rights play......

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:41:00 +0000

Yes, it does significant things... Actually this is play to create awareness in students as well public. Drishti has performed 5 show in University campus and this mainly to campaign about the Child Sponsorship programme of CSA, which has been sponsoring around 250 Children every year with the help of Chritites or Christ University students, so to encourage them to keep doing the sponsor we did the play on the Child Rights..

While we are putting this play definitely there would be students, some of them were really fascinated/impressed by our play and wanted to become a part of Drishti team...
That was really something interesting and we were proud about it... After that CSA had general meeting for all the volunteers and there we announced about the New comers, they were happy to be part of, and finally we got some of the Girls artists for this year, when we did the Child Rights play then Drishti did not have even one girl artist but after that we got not only girls artists even the boy No increased.....

I'll write about them latter... Dont you all think this is something that really great about Drishti?; I dont know I feel its something special about Drishti, it did impact on students they came forward to put up more and more plays like this....
I'm proud about being in Drishti.The-Vision street theatre team!

Who and all involved in this Child Rights play?

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:40:00 +0000

Here I take the pleasure to introduce Drishti Members :)

Sharath Chandra III Bcom Tourism
Pandu R III B.A EPS
Bharath N III B.A EPS
Arun Williams II B.A EPS
Prakash K N II B.A EPS
Vishal I B.A JPeng
Akil I B.A JPeng
Pradeep I B.A EPS
Venu I Bsc CMS

Gathering of senior volunteers....

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:35:00 +0000

After the first day workshop, senior volunteers gathered for tea and then we talked about how is the play going , who are really concentrating on the play, who seemed involved in the play, who will stay for a long time and everything we discussed. After that we became serious about junior volunteers, we had thought that we should make them be part of the Drishti for long time. Because last Drishti gave only 9 shows on Street Children but it faced challenges that secondary here! so we all thought same thing shouldn't happen for this here as well. Every one came across how can we make the team sustain and strong! Based on everybody's suggestion the following points are put across to do something better

Gathering for tea/coffee
Perform the out side of town
Go for a play or movie togather
Make them involve in other activities of CSA
Recognize their qualities
By giving complements
Some time have lunch toge

Finally we reflected about what we had been talked, then we messaged to junior volunteers about the next day workshop, everyone requested to come on Sunday and on the time around 2pm, they also agreed to come on time! we winded up the meeting saying bye with lots of dreams and plans and cheer!

Monday with curious!

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:20:00 +0000

Monday:) cool we also had general meeting, which mean the meeting which is for all the volunteers of csa not just only for Drishti team, we all met at 4pm with other volunteers, meeting was about to inform the Child Rights Week. I some how used the opportunity, when I just announced that if any one would like to join Street Theatre team, please inform and surprisingly/luckily we got two other new volunteers:):D

Siddharth was late, so team decided untill siddh come we'll just sing a song or do something weird thingy, we started and suddenly hey that's nice, sound came from siddh! hi, hello was flying for sometime! we got into play and started to practice what we did on sunday.
The curiosity started about the another half play, because siddh has told us while practicing on Sunday that, I have another half wonderful theme about it! when he came started to explain about the other half of the play, we said ok sounds like good and then he directed the left out play!

End of the day we could able to finished the whole play at around 8.30pm. We performed it for Johny sir who is CSA coordinator, Jai was there with him as rehearsal. All of us was really very tiered and hungry, because practiced too much, may about for 4 and 1/2 hours, screamed for long time, I guess you all know that when we talk about street play we should have voice otherwise the message will not reach the spectators..... Sir was happy, suggestion that was little bit more practice must be need:) we said OK:D
Then all went cafeteria to have something! I ordered Channa Battoora, some one odored south indian meals and went on, with juice every one left the place by 9.30>>>>

Sunday, productive day indeed!

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:19:00 +0000

He he: P good after noon guys :) the volunteers are arrived on time but not all the volunteers, that was kind of shock too.... for senior volunteers. Because previous day all of them agreed to come on Sunday but only two new volunteers came and that made us to feel very sad/bad about them, but we did not depressed completely, not canceled the workshop, though we were only 9 volunteers we started to work on our play and really started with energy and did not stop till 6pm and worked very hard, in between we had break then we had fun by creaking jokes and teasing others dialogue and making fun of others, really enjoyed! And then again we came to field to work, at the end half of the play completed! siddharth brought a person who is also belong to Christ law college for us to know about child right according to the law! All of us felt proud to be part of the team, because we put effort, especially siddharth who really scarified his Sunday to produce a good play, and he made us to feel comfortable and given chance to say our opinion about the play, took our suggestions to make it better. every thing went well! Something we did great job in just 4 hours, really we never worked such hard since my two year experience in Drishti team! New comers co-operated with us very much, they also said that I would like to be for a long time, because the team has put such an effort! And then we made noise for our out come, the credit goes to the Drishti team- that's really team effort indeed!
Then we decided to meet on Monday 4pm, as soon as our class gets over....
With tiered every body made move towards gate, myself and other two came to CSA office, Bye Bye sounds for 1 mins...

hard and fun weekend;)

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:12:00 +0000

Since Drishti has been asked to put a play on Child Rights as early as possible, we all had to be work hard. Previous day, that is on saturday the newcomers are said they gonna come on sunday but they did not turn up, which made slightly disappointment but we were happy because two of the newcomers had come and there were really very active too, because of both of them we were able to do something on sunday, though we would have manage without them these two gave kind of courage and made us to feel happy!
And then without wasting the time, we started to practice on the topic, before that we all cheered and sang song as usual....

As I mentioned this is the week for Drishti to work hard, in the sense research, analyze, write script, practice, practice, and finally perform!

Finally we got some new volunteer for workshop which held on 5th of July, same day CSA conducted a team building session for new volunteers, as soon as the session end, the exclusively team Drishti had meeting with new volunteers, Siddharth led the meeting with fun exercise. Then we had around 16 volunteers including both senior volunteers and juniors. Siddharth started the meeting with one old street theater song to break the shyness among the new volunteers and then we divided into three groups, to make our own small play about the child needs/rights, each group came up with one elements which says how a group or individual can help the kids or understand their problems.

Drishty starts with play, after all the exercise and everything, siddharth has given us a small introduction about the play, and he asked our suggestion on it. we said that nice and we can go further about, then we started to work on the issue Child Rights, same day we finished the introduction part of the play, we are requested to come on Sunday too... to finish the whole play.

Thing is though we worked hard that was really fun the way we worked and end we felt something that we produced..... I mean that is productive day indeed :)

Child rights week......

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:10:00 +0000

This is the week meant for child rights as far as CSA concern, which is between 7th to 12th of July., but since we have been senior volunteers aware about it in advance to plan it out, so majority of the volunteers and troupe leaders were told that through bookmark, posters and street plays we can spread the message about child rights week to the whole University and then Drishty took an initiative to perform a street play on the issue Child Rights, So we started to think about how as a team Drishty can contribute to make it successful week. Then we were just 6 volunteers in the team gathered for a meeting on 4th of July, to discuss about basic rights of children. The meeting held only for senior volunteers. sidharth, who was volunteer of CSA and great theatre person came to guide and direct the play, he asked us to think about what are the basic need and as an individual how can I help a child? We discussed on these two questions and came across, Food, Education, Health, Freedom and Love/Care. Answer regarding how an individual can help a child, love them, care them, if it is possible sponsor them or at least smile at them. Some more important things been discussed, that how can sustain the Drishti, how to encourage the new volunteers? And how Drishti performed last year?

This is the First meeting of Drishti for the year 2008-09, indeed it went well, we gave some work to our mind in the beginning of the year itself... Every body was interestedly got into the meeting and came up with the suggestions, Cheered...

hey, here is Drishti.The-Vision once again.....

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:07:00 +0000

Hello every one, hope you all aware about a exclusive team of Centre for Social Action(CSA)Drishti- The Vision! First of all sorry for last year, Drishti was not able to update anything about its activities because it had faced challenges. But now it has emerged once again getting into streets or going to capture its land and public, including students everybody. Hence The-Vision warmly welcomes you all back, to get to know more about its shows, funny things, cheery things and new experiences and the volunteers who are really trying to make a change in society directly or indirectly with their efforts!

Yup, since we are being as so called senior volunteers started campaign for CSA, new comers are arrived at christ university and to engage them about CSA activities to make them involve into communities through CSA we started the campaign! As usual CSA organized activity inauguration on 28th of June 2008- where all the new volunteers got to know more about CSA activities and how it works, how many teams are there in CSA! after the formal presentations session all the volunteers are asked to be divide into five groups to interact with senior volunteers with respective groups! So a group of new volunteers came towards Drishti Street theatre team, then we explained about what is street theatre all about and what it does exactly and what did it do last year and every thing! I hope they were enjoyed, because Jai our senior volunteers and experienced person made them to cheer with a small game!
Some of them went for tea and some of them left!:)
That was really great start of Drishti as well as CSA!
Cheers:)
Welcome once again!

Workshop in St. Josephs School

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Thu, 24 May 2007 10:35:00 +0000

Article in Deccan herald, May 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Thu, 24 May 2007 10:31:00 +0000

One best thing...

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Mon, 14 May 2007 07:24:00 +0000

Well, its been days something came up here... So this is just an attempt to make everybody peep
in here. Just pin down one thing you love about 'drishti' here. Just one thing, mind you! Not as comments but keep adding to this post, by editing it. And ya, dont forget to mention your name in here. So... Here we begin:

I loved the practice ssessions. The way it used to happen, the fun we had, the jokes, those awesome moments - I think that was the best part and the icing on the cake were the performances. Drishti Rocks

-Vandana

the one best thing i love about my team is the way we were able to do so many shows and work so well though we had a lot of challenges to face through out the year and also the fun and the way we enjoy all the time we had together they were really good memories

- Neha

Hmmn.. about Drishti. I love the way it functions.. through ups and downs... people turning up for practices and at times not turning up.. Drishti has given up its banana but not some members of it.. he he.. Thats in a way good thing..

Jai

Human Rights Fest at Christ College

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 09:59:00 +0000

The team performed 4 shows of both kannada and English play for the human rights festival organised by the Post graduate Department of Sociology. Special attraction were the thamate people from Kechanpalya who made people go crazy with their traditional steps.

Article on Kannada - Canada Theatre

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 15:59:00 +0000

Today the city of Bangalore is going through a lot of changes; some sudden and some gradual. In its journey from a pensioner’s paradise to the silicon valley of India, Bangalore has established itself as the new home for innovators and investors from around the world. In fact India is today recognized by this city only, on the global map. Taking advantage of this burgeoning process of globalization is one educational institution Christ college, Bangalore. Christ College along with theatre and development, Concordia University, Canada, Teesri Duniya Theatre, Canada and Park Extension Youth Association, Canada successfully organized a workshop for the students from Canada as well as from Christ College. The workshop aimed at making an attempt to comprehensively explore the relation between art and activism. Theatre-In-Education, Bangalore, carefully structured this intensive workshop that gave the members of the Christ college street theatre team, Drishti, CSA and the Canadian students an opportunity to collectively investigate on the topic of human rights with the help of Street Theatre. The workshop kick-started with an International Human Rights Film Festival on the 11th of December, through which the students were introduced to the theme. The students also worked with eminent professionals from the field of Street Theatre during this workshop. At the end of the workshop students successfully came up with two productions on the theme of water and women’s issues. Bangalorians in fact also got to witness these street plays when the ‘Canada-Kannada’ street play group performed at a few college campuses and at a few public locations like Forum Mall and Raheja Arcade on the 27th and performed at Hoskote on the 28th. The students that participated in this unique student exchange program strongly believe that street theatre is a very effective as well as an artistic tool to address issues in any part of the world. And according to the students, as this globalization process makes issues of various countries issues of the world; such student exchange programs should be heavily encouraged. And now the Canadians will confidently take back what they have learnt and experienced on Indian streets to address their local issues.

By Surekha

well....well....well....something to go on with...

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:57:00 +0000

well just when we think there is nothing more to do and begin to wounder how do we spend our free time something come our way......well most of us are happy,though some of us feel that its time we concentrate on our studies.But as usual we the street theater group is soooo used to being busy that free time makes us think we are useless people unless we have our exam's coming up round the corner...oke oke lets come back to the work i was talking of...now the new thing is all about the up coming IN BLOOM fest in Christ college as we all know it is the most awaited fest among all the other college fests but whats new is that this year we are having a theater fest also included and its both the proscenium and street theater... it going to be healed in the Christ college campus on the 17th of January. We just got to know about it and the whole team is looking really enthusiastic planning lots putting all sort of ideas onhow to make it a lasting and memorable event.... just to give an example we thought we would dress like jokers and go around colleges in cycles announcing or we would have people beating the tamte all dressed colourfully and many such ideas....... its the first of its kind in college and all of us are looking forward to it** you see we love what we do and we love doing it in such a way that everyone is left with a long lasting memory of it...............that lady's and gentle men is drishti.....

Rolling stones gather no moss: Catching up with the Street Theatre Team

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 12:31:00 +0000

Posted by centreforsocialaction on December 30th, 2006

They had a very busy schedule right from September, starting with participating in the ‘De-addiction week’ along with the Department of Psychology. The volunteers underwent very rigorous practice sessions in the mornings and evenings.
Unlike the usual way of performing on streets, the team, performed on a real stage when they represented our college at the National Biblical, Catechetical and Liturgical Centre (NBCLC) conference held on the fourteenth of November. The play, Portraits of an Epoch showcased imbibing ideas from the gospels of the Bible. Despite the fact that most among the team were non-Christians, the participants claimed it to be a very novel and interesting experience. Besides, the play was widely appreciated at the conference.

On 15 November, Mr. Anil Pinto from the Department of Media Studies conducted an interactive session on The origin of theatre and How it became a popular form of art. “It was nothing like a seminar. Mr. Pinto captured our attention with his unique style of presentation and it was very lively”, opined Vandana, one of the participants.

Portraits of an Epoch was performed yet again at the National Law School Inter-Collegiate festival. They also represented Christ College at the Street Play Competition held at R V College of Engineering, Bengalooru.

The Street Theatre volunteers also found time to conduct a Theatre Workshop for the students of St.Josephs Indian High School on 18, 19, 25 and 26 November.

Both the Kannada and English teams worked hard for the prestigious Bengalooru Habba. They modified the above mentioned play and performed at the Habba from 3rd to 8th December. “ It was a once in a life time opportunity and we actually performed on the streets, even at night and also on open canters-something which we never even dreamt we would be doing” says Mijula a volunteer of the Street Theatre.

On 9th December, CSA celebrated Christmas in the Norwegian style and also formally inaugurated the collaborative Workshop with a Canadian theatre group for the selected 12 volunteers from the team. Having started on the 11th the workshop was held in association with Theatre In Education (Christ College). The main theme was ‘Human Rights’ under which they focussed on – ‘Water’ and ‘Women issues’.

The Street Theatre team worked in co-ordination with the College Choir and a dance team (headed by cultural co-ordinator Mr. Prasanna) and performed Portraits of an Epoch as part of the College Christmas celebrations.
Phew! A great way to end a year, wasn’t it?

Any Idea what STREET THEATRE IS ?

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 04:00:00 +0000

Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves and street corners. They are especially seen in outdoor spaces where there are large numbers of people. The actors who perform street theatre range from buskers to organised theatre companies or groups that want to experiment with performance spaces, or to promote their mainstream work.
Sometimes performers are commissioned, especially for street festivals, children's shows or parades, but more often street theatre performers are unpaid or gather some income through the 'dropping of a coin in a hat' by the audience.
The logistics of doing street theatre necessitates simple costumes and props, and generally there is little or no amplification of sound, with actors depending on their natural vocal and physical ability. This issue with sound has meant that physical theatre, including dance, mime and slapstick, is a very popular genre in an outdoor setting. The performances need to be highy visible, loud and simple to follow in order to attract a crowd.
Street theatre should be distinguished from other more formal outdoor theatrical performances, such as performances of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in a garden, where there is a discrete space set aside (or roped off) and a ticketed, paying clientele who come to see the show.
In some cases, street theatre performers have to get a licence or specific permission through local or state governments, in order to perform.
Street theatre is arguably the oldest form of theatre in existence, most mainstream entertainment mediums can be traced back to origins in street performing. More recently performers who, a hundred years ago, would have made their living working in variety theatres, music halls and in vaudeville, now often perform professionally on the many well-known street performance areas throughout the world.
One of the most interesting points about modern street theatre is its unique sociopolitical place. People who might not have ever been to, or been able to afford to go to the "legitimate" theatre can watch a street show, by virtue of where the shows take place, their audience is made up of anyone and everyone who wants to watch. If an audience member can't afford it, then it's free

Five Principles for Happiness in 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:50:00 +0000

by David Bac
Tuesday, January 2, 2007

The arrival of the new year marks a symbolic time for fresh starts. Many of us take it as an opportunity to set goals, contemplate decisions, and renew commitments. It's special because of the revitalized sense of hope it brings.
Before you make your New Year's resolutions for 2007, I'd like to share some thoughts about how it's never too late to start living a rich life.
The Live Rich Factor
Most people believe that if they just had more money, the things that make them unhappy would disappear and their lives would be better. The truth is that your life can be better without more money. It can be better today, but you need to make some decisions and take some actions.
You don't need me to tell you what will make you happy -- only you know that truth.
I believe each of us has the power to discover our purpose and become joyful in the process of journeying toward that purpose. It's not easy, however. Nothing important and meaningful ever is.
What you need to do is create what I call the "Live Rich Factor" in your life. I call it this because those who find the purpose that leads them to joy are truly the luckiest people in the world, because they're living richly.
There are five basic principles involved in creating your Live Rich Factor:

Principle 1: Give Yourself a Break

We all tell ourselves the story of the one that got away. You can't move forward if you spend time focusing on what you shoulda-woulda-coulda done in 2006 or before. It's over, and its time to move on. The fastest way I know to do this is to write all of your regrets down on paper.
Make a list of all your personal and financial if-onlys. For example, "If only I had saved more money. If only I hadn't quit that job. If only I hadn't taken the job I have." You get the idea.
After reading the list aloud to yourself, get rid of it. Let it all go by literally burning the list (safely). Now you're ready for a fresh start in 2007 -- a new beginning.

Principle 2: Get Connected with Your Truth

The hardest thing to do is be honest with yourself. Asking yourself some key questions will lead you to some amazing discoveries, and possibly motivate you to do what it takes to create the life you envision for yourself.
I suggest writing your (honest) answers to the following questions in a new journal for the new year:
What makes you happy at work?
What makes you happy at home?
What makes you happy with your friends and family?
What makes you happy when you're by yourself?
What do you love to do?
What would you do with your life today if you weren't afraid of failure?
What's not working in your life?
What are you currently doing that prevents you from experiencing joy?
What's working in your life?
Who's not working in your life?
Who in your life is subtracting value from and adding misery to it?
Can you fix any of these relationships, or should you let them go from your life?
What relationships are working in your life?
If we were getting together one year from today, what would have to happen for you to be able to tell me that you now have more joy in your life?
What's the single most important thing you've learned about yourself as a result of answering these questions?
You'll find that by putting your answers down on paper, they'll become clear more quickly and the actions you need to take more obvious and easier to initiate.

Principle 3: Stop Judging Yourself

Be nicer to yourself in 2007. Many people talk to themselves in a way they would never accept from a stranger, friend, or loved one. If this describes you, try stopping the negative conversations you have with yourself immediately.
For one week, simply commit to saying "stop it" when you think a negative thought about yourself. If you're in the habit of saying negative things to yourself, you'll find this is one of the most difficult exercises you'll ever do. Carry a notepad with you and make a mark each time you catch yourself thinking negatively. You'll find that as the days go by, your negative thinking can quickly be reduced.

Principle 4: Stop Judging Others

It's hard to be joyful when you're always judging others. In fact, it's close to impossible. Judging others creates a huge amount of stress in our lives. It affects our marriages and our relationships with our kids as well as the way we relate to friends, co-workers, and society in general.
We're not here to judge one another.
The next time you find yourself upset at someone or some situation, catch yourself and ask, "Are you judging?" Judging others is often an unconscious habit. But it's a habit that can be changed the moment you decide to stop doing it.
Principle 5 : Pursue Fun with a Vengeance
It's OK to pursue fun. It's what children do. My greatest joy these days is the simple pleasure of playing with my three-year-old son, Jack.
This holiday season with Jack taught me the simple power of pursuing fun -- again and again. What was fun for Jack this Christmas? It turns out it wasn't the Big Wheel that my wife, Michelle, and I stayed up so late building on Christmas Eve. And it wasn't the Star Wars Lego toy (although he was pretty excited about that).
Instead, what Jack found the most fun was a new game I made up to keep him entertained. The game was called Geronimo -- and it involved Jack jumping from the bed onto a stack of pillows yelling "Geronimo!" This silly little game ended up bringing us both hours of fun. The price of the game: nothing. The fun: priceless. And the laughs? Endless.
Why do we stop pursing fun as we get older? Fun shouldn't be squeezed into a few weeks of vacation each year. And it shouldn't be squeezed into the last chapter of your life when you "get to" retire. Fun deserves to be a part of your life now -- in 2007.
But fun doesn't just happen. You have to make it a priority in your life or it'll go missing. Life's too short to not have it.
So here's to a fun, happy, and healthy New Year. Cheers!

Gospel Play Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 14:58:00 +0000

- by the Canadians

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 10:36:00 +0000

A FAIRWELL FAIRYTALE

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away there lived 3 princesses- Princess Greeny, who was said to be as precious as an emerald and the 2 twin princesses, Neha the first who had an enchanting rythm and Neha the second, a fiery goddess. They also had a sibling, Prince jaison, who was a caring brother to them all.

The time had come for the Grand Majestic Ball organised by the world renowned event planner, Jaikumar. Only the most distinguished guests were invited from all over the kingdom, notables such as Sir Subu, Sir Rajesh and Sir Omesh - all well trained in the art of theatre.

The festivities were opened by Vandana, the excited trumpeteer, First there was an inspiring speech given by Surekha, the great thinker. Then Mijula followed with words full of poetic kindness. After dinner, Shiv and Sid got everyone warmed up with a lively dance. Oh yeah, and a bunch of Canadians crashed the party too! No worries though.

Under the quiet gaze of Chandru, the Man in the Moon, the laughter, singing and celebration went on late into the night,

The kingdom awoke the next morning when Teju, the sun goddess, opened her big heart and smiled to summon a new day. All the people rejoiced and felt blessed to be surrounded by such good friends and memories!

And they lived happily ever after and visited all their canadian friends in Montreal!

My body & BRAIN is tangled!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 11:03:00 +0000

Well, the farewell ended and the canadians have left.... cant think that there would be no more of those dancing sessions, no more of the harmonica playing and no more of the bus dances!!! God, hard to imgine but that's truth...right??

Well this workshop with the canadians made my brain (the small little one that I have) go round and round and I dont know what!!! I have spent hours thinking about the workshop and about the process but cudn't get any answer. I think what made me so restless was the fact that I didnt know what I was doing!!! Many of my friends told me to just wait and experience this whole workshop but probably, this is the way I am, I like to know wat I am doing and why!!! I tried my level best not to get any hopes or expectations from my past and which to an extent I succeeded in doing...but then why wasnt I having that internal happiness or satisfaction?Dont tell me that I have become so rigid (here come's the self - doubt)!!! Well I got a part of my answer in the reflection session we had in Hoskote... Sean made me realise what I was thinking about... "I wanted the process to empower us more", as Sean put it. Thanks Sean. Along with that I just wondered if those movements of water (which I myself did) made any sense, if not to others, but atleast to me! I am all too messed up (as you can see) and I DONT LIKE THAT!

Its not that I havn't gained anything from this workshop... Now I know how it is to have 10 fingers, 2 hands, 2 legs etc, how body theatre is important.... but....there still remains that emptiness within me which probably I will understand in a few days... (atleast I hope so)
But in all, I think the experience was great, it made my body and my BRAIN (especially) work a lot...and I swear it did!!!!

Kiss Good Bye !

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 16:17:00 +0000

The last Day ..

Today was the last day to end our Kannada Canada Project with a farewell party in Birds park.
Organised by us ... He he. We started off with formal speeches by the staff members and went into the culturals with yaroon song. By now it was Canadians turn who sang sweet songs which had lyrics about us... It was so damn cozy. Then it was Kajre dance done by the female category of street theatre.
During supper every body danced to the tune of Rajan sir music and everybody had a blast. It all ended kissing good byes to each other.
From Drishti we wish you guys .. safe journey and hope to keep in touch with you guys.

Three Cheers to Canadians..
Hip Hip ..hurray..Hip Hip ..hurray..Hip Hip ..hurray..

Please Note: Drishti members ..kindly post your views into your blog and keep this site alive.

Photos of Kannada Canada Performance

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 06:50:00 +0000

Theatre in the Basketball Court! : A Different Game
Posted by centreforsocialaction on December 21st, 2006
Thu,21 Dec: You surely missed it… if you weren’t present at the Christ College basketball court when the CSA street theatre team Drishti, in collaboration with a theatre team from Montreal (Canada) enacted a series of plays in front of a huge student audience!
The play which dealt with human rights was enacted in 2 parts:1. A series of topics which included ‘respect for women’, ‘the need to wear helmets’, ‘smoking’, and ‘alcohol’ through a multi-lingual play by Drishti;2. The Biblical story of Adam and Eve interpreted in a contemporary context, with a focus on the plight of women, by a combined group of Drishti and the Montreal team. It talked about the pressure mounted upon women in today’s world.
The enactment was true to the street theatre genre and involved a lot of expressing of ideas through body movement. To add to the fun, they used instruments like a flute, harmonica and drums. And guess how many people turned up at the basketball court to watch it?
350 souls! (including teachers and the watchmen)
The aim of the play besides promoting awareness on Human rights, was to provide a platform for a Drishti - Montreal team joint production, as well as performing for the students in college who were on their last working day of the month, before the Christmas vacations! (By the way, the college re-opens on January 2nd). Both the theatre teams have been undergoing a joint training programme in the college for the past 2 weeks which will culminate on the 28th of this month.
To know more about them, check out their blogs:
Drishti : www. streettheatre.blogspot.com
Montreal team: www. rightshere.blogspot.com

Script for the Street Play

All the members sing "Surangani" and start the formation of the circle. As soon as the circle is completed, the members start the play by singing the birdy song and then sing the "london bridge" song and create the formation for the smoking scene.

Scene I

All the members of the group hum the bond music and move towards Actor 1 who is busy smoking. They stop, stare and then copy actor 1. Then all the members start choking, suffocating and then finally die! Actor 1 watches all this, gets tensed, throws the cigarette. CHORUS: "Smoke up, smoke your life. Smoke up, smoke up your life" and form a circle.

Scene II

All the members in the circle start making sounds of various vehicles, horns,etc. Actor 1 and 2 start moving around the circle (as in driving a two wheeler). They come and hault in the middle of the circle. Actor 1 and all the members: Kya aap traffic rules follow karte hain? Kya aap helmet pehnte hain? Aap rules kyun nahi follow karte hain? (musical) Actor 2: Hello? Helmet kaun pehnta hai? Mera hairstyle bigadd jayega! CHORUS:(except Actor 2): Its coming! Its coming! Its coming! Bird shit comes and falls on Actor 2 (embarrasing and disgusting look) CHORUS: Sound of crow! CHORUS (in the middle in a smaller circle) : "Helmet hain jahaan, suraksha hai wahaan! Helmet!!! (Lifebouy jingle) All the members sing the birdy song (with actions) and come back into a circle. Humming of the "london bridge" song.

Scene III

Actor 1 is busy driving a two wheeler (in the middle of the circle) Actor 2 : Oye.... helmet kidhar hai? Headlight bhi nahi hai... Fine lage ga... 300 rupees!!! Actor 1: (shocked) 300 rupees??? Nahi saab... I'll give you Rs 50!! Actor 2: (surprised) Rs 50??? Gaadi bhi chori ka lagta hai!! Actor 1: Saab saab... 100 rupees dega saab!! Actor 2: 100 rupees??(happy)... chal de de.. Actor 2 takes the money and leaves. Actor 1 continues driving. Actor 1: (sarcasm) Arre... yeh sab toh aise hee hai!!! CHORUS: Na biwi na bachcha, na baap bada na bhaiya... (Bluffmaster).. ...STOP!! Actor 3 (from the circle) : Where's your liscence? ( Kannada) Actor 4 ( '' " ) : Where's your headlight? (Telugu) Actor 5 ( " " ) : Why did you break the traffic light? ( Hindi) Actor 6 ( " " ) : Where is your RC book? ( Malayalam) Actor 7 (coming near Actor 1) : And above all why did you bribe him? CHORUS: (moving in a circle) Who's corrupt? You or them?(3) Actor 1 : Corruption is not there, it is here. CHORUS: Act now! (3) All the members sing the birdy song (with actions) and form the circle. Everybody sings "london bridge" and create the formation for the drinking scene

Scene IV

CHORUS:(everybody in a small circle in the middle facing outside) Yeh jo mohabbat hai...yeh unka hai kaam... (all members sing this as if they are drunk) Actor 1 steps out of the circle and moves around Actor 2: (approaches Actor 1) Drink drink... Its good! Actor 1: (takes a sip and respondes) Hey, this is good..very good!.... I'm so lonely, I have nobody.... (sings) Actor 1 comes to the middle and then as she sings, the rest of the members form a circle around her. CHORUS: Drink, drink, drink, drink.... Actor 1 starts to choke and falls to the ground. All the other members surround her and mock at her. Actor 1 : Drinking thrills, but kills! CHORUS: Drinking thrills. but kills! (3) All the members sing the birdy song (with actions) and settle down for the women harrasment scene.

Scene V

All the members are a part of the circle, except Actor 1 (male) and Actor 2 (female) who are supposedly standing in a bus! CHORUS: Aashiq banaya, aashiq banaya.........(sounds of the break) When the chorus is singing the song, Actor 1 is eve -teasing Actor 2. When the sound of the breaks is heard, Actor 1 (almost) falls on Actor 2. Actor 2 responds with a slap! CHORUS: One tight slap! (2) Actor 2 : Dont you have a mother or a sister? (Hindi) Actor 3 : in Kannada Actor 4 : in Malayalam Actor 5 : in English CHORUS : Respect Women! (3) All the members do the birdy dance (with actions) and form a circle.

Scene VI

CHORUS : (Keeps singing) Hey, Hey... What's this?? Actor 1 : Stop smoking! (coming to the middle of the circle)

CHORUS Actor 2: Wear your helmet! ('' '')

CHORUS Actor 3: Who's corrupt? ('' ")

CHORUS Actor 4: Drinking kills! ('' '')

CHORUS Actor 5: Respect Women! ('' '')

All the members come into the middle of the circle and bow!!!

Kannada -Canada Project Experience!

noreply@blogger.com (Drishti) — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 14:54:00 +0000

For me ... the whole workshop has been challenging and frustrating in spite of being open to ideas of new forms of theatre and stuff....but still come on guys..give me a break...its street theatre ya.. Not that I have done a Ph D thesis on Street theatre.
There are some essentials for any form of theatre and Street theatre has its own and I feel very sad when people neglect that aspect of it. I also discovered how this work has made me realize why our body is so important and useful in street theatre.

I like to work planning things and knowing things in what I am indulging into but this experience has not given me proper sleep at times. Having a sense of ambiguity of things is fine but for long...Hell no..

The culture aspect has been a key factor according to me during this training and I find it difficult to understand Canadian way of thinking. Obviously any individual got to respect other culture and views but this seems a complex process for me to under go..

On our first performance...the element of abstraction for a street play is NOT a good idea. My intuitions turned out to be right to a great extent. I really feel they could learn Kannada and put up a play in Kannada no matter how small or pathetic it turns out. I feel it is not too late... better be late than never..... Street theatre is not about coaching about it but getting into the groom of it and get the feel on ground reality.. Too preachy. Sorry. Its just the way I interpret my Indian system of working..
I hope this workshop broadens my idea of theatre in general and I get to see the Canadians teaching us some stuff .... Which still lies a mystery.. Expectations..Expectations..Sucks big time..

Looking forward for the up coming challenges..

Rock and Roll...