Children Creativity will leads to Country Development

Puducherry May 30: Children Creativity will lead to Country Development, said PASIC President Mr. A.Elumalai M.L.A., in the validity function of the “Children Holiday Camp” jointly organized by ADECOM Network and Kootukkural, a Theatre Movement of Puducherry at Bothi Cultural Centre.

During  holidays children are crazy and this constitutes a big task for the parents. Villages Children play in Lake side, pond and River side, it is dangerous for the children. This kinds of Holidays Training Camp aims at improving Children Protection and increasing their knowledge. The training camp promotes the notion of citizenship for the nation, Mr. A. Elumalai added.

Kootukkural President Mr. Perumal said that  this camp had been organized in a difficult context. This was the first year the camp took place, because of the success of this event it has been decided to renew every year. Theatre, Yoga, Kathe, Dance, Song, Drawing, story telling, Puppet show and Music are the core activities of the camp whose organizers are the kootukkural team and its volunteers.

This kind of Holidays Training camp intends to improve the value of New Human Resources for the Nation. Benefits are also the Country and Personal Development, added Mr Perumal.

CHILDREN’S SUMMER CAMP

Kootukkural Organized the 20 days Children Summer Camp at Bothi Cultural Centre, Ariyappalyam. The camp will be started on 20th April 2009. The Camp will be focused on the importance of child creativity. The camp will give the opportunity to the children to establish their creativity and develop it. The Kootukkural will help the children to develop their creativity through various programmes like drawings, song, story, drama and graft making.

Mr. S. Perumal and his team members will be organized this camp. They will invite the special couch for this camp. The special trainers should involve the process to develop the creativity of the children. Kootukkural planning to invite nearly 30 children for this 20 days camp

Indian NGO’s Theatre defends Dalit

According to historians, theatre would be created in India to diffuse Buddhist religion, yet our first century’s were the golden age for the Indian Sanskrit theatre, witch permits us to say that an inspired Brahman’s theatre were imposed, in disaccord with Buddhism.

The actual theatre genders:

Actually there are four actual forms of theatre witch are traditional’ ones or « Folk », the scene theatre or « placement’s theatre », the most recently « oppressed people theatre » and the « Dalit theatre ».

Traditional forms are presents above all in South India and for Tamil Nadu are about Therukkoothu.

Therukkoothu is a street theatre, said for « education and pastime » mainly presented in a context of social and religious celebrations like death or puberty celebration. It mix songs and traditional dance, begins with a Ganesh and Sarasvati invocation and is able to finish early the next morning. Roles, even if female ones are played only by men costumed and maked up. The Komali comments played situations directing spectators’ trough a moral bias socially or religiously correct. Controlled by superior’s castes, elite’s and directing ones, this traditional theatre stay a way to proclaim and perpetuate Brahman ideology about castes hierarchy, witch is a planed transmission of negatives values like Karma and Dharma’s theory (fatalism), superior’s castes submission, women’s secondary status… using sacred and profanes notions to paralyse reflex ion of oppressed people like Dalit*, tribal and earth less ».

The scene’s theatre

Teaches by English to Indians then reprised by against-colonisation movements, today many movie’s actors uses it to treat about problems like water lack, pollution or health…

If that form of theatre applies to sensibylize and proposes some issues, as well it’s not a « popular » theatre. Only played in big cities by professional and paid actors, with important and modern means, it is aimed at middle class only witch isn’t principally concerned by problems posed. On the one hand. It isn’t an exchange or interactive theatre as spectators aren’t invited to participate.

The Indian « oppressed people theatre»’s birth.

In the 60’s, traditional forms are used by Dravidian’s organisations to demystify dominant culture based on « inferior’s and superior’s castes » ideology. This theatre was attempting to act against fatality, superstitions and women’s inferiority to create into those Dravidians populations respect about their own and pride to be issued from the first people who were living the country at least giving them a possibility to participate on manifestations, meeting and protestation’s walking, and in this way to bring up their voices against dominator’s forces.

In the 70’s many NGOs, socials and secular’s actions, activist’s groups are emerging in Tamil Nadu using culture’s medias to focus looks on socials inequalities problems, gender and caste’s discriminations, industrialisation’s stupidities and their economic development’s justifications.

Since the 80’s, the popular theatre is defined like a « for people and by people theatre » is more and more used by NGOs to « arouse people ». This « oppressed people theatre » is diversified in several ways like « Women theatre », «  Black theatre », «  psychological theatre », « Dalit theatre »… each one changing with its own vision on theatre and communitarian’s potential for action.

« Dalit theatre »

Dalit theatre joins « popular education and Dalit community’s development » activities leaded by NGOs as non formal educating tool.

TO CALL OUT TO, SHOW, WAKE UP – TO BECOME AWARE OF, LUCIDITY

This « immutable, establish and incontestable order under the name of religion or traditions » perpetuated by generations and generations anesthetized consciences, critic mind and revolt. Proposing current life situations of the villagers, oppressing and all sort of unjust ones, or means order problems, theatre aims at make them conscientious of the oppressive, unjust, abnormal or illegal character they undergo. A critic analysis about the situations played is presented to the villagers to propose them to step back from their own life.

MESSENGER – TO SENSIBILISE, INFORM and EDUCATE – TO USE LAWS – RIGHTS…

NGOs informs spectators about Humans Rights and existing laws witch are able to protect them , do some prevent environment’s questions always proposing a critic analysis.

TO GUIDE, PROPOSE WITHOUT OBLIGE – AUTONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND COLLECTIVE MOVEMENT – FIGHT, LIBERATION

NGOs want Dalit villagers to form an active movement, strong and stand by and the most of possible autonomic for their own rights fighting’s respect, personal and collective development with-in society, for Liberation. Dalit theatre gives directions and alternatives but any solutions as they want villagers to become actors of their own development.

Dalit Theatre’s Ethic as concerned NGOs wrote it :

- “Since Nazis is reflected in Dalit oppression, Dalit need a platform or a forum to promote struggle ideologies for true democracy and liberation just like the struggle against Nazism.

- Dalit theatre should be a counteracting force wherever there is Hindu influence since it has perpetuated marginalisation on the basis of Varnashrama Dharma.

- Dalit theatre is political theatre, as also rebellion theatre in appropriate situations.

- Dalit theatre should be based on the real life situation and the concrete experiences of Dalit. Abstraction is taboo, for it can only be like the grease paint which camouflages actuality.

- The dialect, body movement, story line, the message and the vision will be just as in the actual Dalit’s life situations. There will be no make up and costumes.

- Dalit theatre will question the dominant culture and value systems.

- Gender justice will be focused upon in the presentations.

- Dalit theatre is aggressive in nature and will express strong feelings and emotions.”

Topics and texts

Texts are usually written by the NGO’s members as dialogs including sometimes discourses. The language is a familiar’s one to be understand by everyone. When the « text » isn’t written, actors first choose the topics and make some theatrics’ improvisations, according them about the story line.

The performance propose to the public an installed code’s « destruction » work and a « rebuild » work with « their » own world according their own codes in all fields. Topics are many and varied: Human Rights – Policy – Economy – Religion – Environment- Education –health- Social Life – Industrialisation – Agriculture…

A few examples respecting child: life’s right for the girls, free expression and participation’s life rights, education‘s right, child labour and child exploitation’s refusal.

…respecting women: men’s violence, male’s domination in current life and sexual abuses, lack society status for the women, and all other’s discriminations.

NGOs generally « specialises » their action in favour of one cause like Women respect, child or agriculture’s questions…

Modest means:

Respecting materials means, actors are just using simple’s distinct signs like a scarf as a waist or turban, borrowed from the village’s people. When there’s some light, it’s just to demarcate the playing place and sometimes with fire witch is a subject of fascination and an emotions’ support. Music is used to make a link with the millenarian Indian music culture and played by actors using traditional and local’s instruments.

Actors are very often NGO’s members all amateurs but sometimes child and women of the village are playing and they’ll happen in near by villages to proclaim ideas of their own fighting.

Actor’s game and taking place performance

Dalit Theatre wants to be an emotion theatre where the actor seeks to touch earth’s spectator before his intellect even if the opposite’s technique is usually used. It’s an interactive game; villagers are invited to react and also to become actors themselves in the hope that « fiction » becomes « reality » to permit the beginning of themselves working in, explore their own emotions and make birth a new look for their personality and world.

Play is in the evening on the main place’s village introduced by actors without any information and playing music to attract villagers. The public settles around actors and the performance begins with Dalit’s songs liberation’s ones inspired from traditional ones,

Then actors announce the topic calling out to the public with their finger. Play is composed by several short’s scenes separated by songs dances and discourses, action’s appealing, revolt and liberation’s one.

At the end the company normally propose a debate to the villagers offering them a platform to exchange about treated topics, to motive and feeder action groups.

Conclusion

Dalit Theatre became a fighting symbol witch is quickly with-in NGOs but for witch the ethic is staying vague. A similar practise should give to Dalit Theatre more force and echo in the messages. Because it’s a « become aware of » tool but also a joy and emotion driver as well for spectators as actors, Dalit Theatre should be a personal and collective structure’s tool, as much as for revolutionary actions.

(*) dalit means oppressed people and designs untouchables.
Theatre Full Text

THEATER IMPROVISATION TRAINING

The objective of my mission is to help this group of 11 persons in their work off acting. Indeed i have 3 working axis:

- How to positionnate their voices

- moving in an area

- expression off differents feelings

For it, i make them making several exercises everyday to make them progress step by step, according to the needs of each.

I evalue this 3 elements by making them working in some small improvisations. Indeed i give them a subject and they have to create a scene .Alone, a group of 2, 4 or

all together.

Exercises:

Examples

· The group make a circle and they pronunciation clearly and precisely the « a e i o u » with the good way

· Space’s movements: working by crying, by laughing, like an old person

· Exercises of the mirror: work on their concentration and the

· Mime by making some faces for example

Different Improvisation’s scene:

• A political speech
• Scene in a hospital
• Scene in a bus
• Seller and buyer of different things: magic soap, a pen, a cell
• phone, magic shoes, and after the seller become the buyer
• Tell a story, love story, by singing and dancing
• The phone exercises 2 persons discuss on the phone:

One wants to hang up and the other one has to continue to talk

because she doesn’t t want to hang up

Working of two scenes of the the play on Moliere “The little Wife’s School”

I have asked them to tell me the story of this scene, to definite exactly their characters, the emotions and also to associate this characters with an animal.

It s really interesting to see the result off their job! How they progress, the cohesion of the Group and how every person takes their place in this group.

Molière’s “The School for Wives” (L’École des Femmes)

The French Artist Mr. Jef Pays visited India from 12^th April until 10^th May for giving training to the Kootu-K- Kural team, in Puducherry. For this one month duration the group leaned the play on Moliere “The little Wife’s School. First time the artists were trained by this classical theatre, and they practiced for long dialogues. The play was adopted in Tamil and the main characters were designed by the French artist Jef Pay. After their practical rehearsal it was displayed in the Public performance.

When Kootu-K-Kural director expressed about this play he said that the young artist took the first time practice for the classical play. They learned many things on body languages, exercises for expressions, approaches etc. He added that the training input has been delivered as output in the public performance. Overall the entire team satisfied for their outcomes and their continuous training for nearly one month. After this the team decided to make the rehearsal within the team for another couple of month with the support of local trainers. Might be some changes will be adapted to the needs and understanding of the audience in our place.

The author Molière wrote The School for Wives (L’École des Femmes), it is remarkable that, in his new comedy, as in the one produced when his passion for her was growing upon him, he resorted to the ethics of marriage for his materials. The chief personage in the piece, Arnolphe, a middle-aged roué, played by Molière himself, has arrived at the conclusion, after a wide experience of womankind, that the best safeguard of a wife’s honor is extreme ignorance, that if she is not to befool her husband she must be a fool herself.

No girl should know anything except how to sew, pray, spin and love the man to whom she is pledged. Her library should consist of only two books, the Bible and the Maxims of Marriage. Nor does he fail to reduce these theories to rigid practice. Intending to espouse his ward Agnes–Mdlle. Debrie–he has her brought up at a convent school in complete seclusion. But the young lady, with a type of intelligent simplicity, unconsciously outwits him; she bestows her affections upon the gallant Horace, and the guardian, after being made the confident of the latter, is eventually left out in the cold.

The character of Arnolphe is finely contrasted with that of Chrysalde, who utters a series of noble sentiments in favor of the cultivation of the intellect in a woman. It has been hastily assumed by some writers that Molière and his wife are before us in Arnolphe and Agnes. Far, indeed, is this from the truth, Armande bearing as little resemblance to the unsophisticated ward as her husband did to the tyrannical guardian. It is not improbable; however, that some of the most emotional passages in the play derived additional intensity of feeling and expression from his experiences. In these, no doubt, the dramatist himself, rather than the character, is speaking. For a similar reason his acting may have gained in force and tenderness. However that may be, L’École des Femmes, especially toward the end, was pervaded by a depth of sensibility which he had not previously displayed, and which, joined as it was to unequalled dramatic excellence, exerted a strong fascination over most of the audience.

This comedy was fiercely attacked by several, who accused it of being wanted in good taste, sound morality, rules of grammar, and, what was more dangerous, of undermining the principles of religion. The second scene of the third act, in which mention is made of “boiling cauldrons,” of a soul as “white and spotless as a lily,” but “as black as coal,” when at fault; of “The Maxims of Marriage or the Duties of a Wife, together with her daily exercise,” gave great offense, and were said to be like the phrases of the catechism or the confessional. A formal patron of Molière, the Prince of Conti, who had become a mere devotee, wrote against it in his Traité de la Comédie et des Spectacles, and in later times, even such men as Fénelon, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Geoffroy have found much to blame in this comedy, whilst several literary men, Hazlitt amongst the English, and Honoré de Balzac amongst the French, consider this play as Molière’s masterpiece.

Write, Speak, communication skill training for the grass root Animators organized by Kootu-K-Kural

Kootu-K-Kural a street theatre movement organized a three days workshop for the Animators working in villages. This held from 23 to 25th Nov. at Polur training centre. The main objectives of the workshop are:

1. To teach for writing and reading practices for improve their skills.
2. To motivate them for build their confidence on effecitive presentations, express their communications.
3. To motivate for their interest on social activities for preparing the documents.
4. To stimulate for raising the questions for collecting informations, data, from others.
5. To improve their language skills.

In this workshop 25 members participated and they are from Kootu-k-Kural team, ADECOM team, Staff of SVED and Staff of RWEDS, the partners groups.

The resource person Mr.Sivakumar took the session and he closely associated with the trainees.  He focused the topics on skeaking, writing skills, body language, expressions, approaches with others.  Every day he used different methodologies for improving the skills to the young trainings.

During the training he used the techniques on group sharing, self presentations, exercise on building language, documentary films for creating informations.

Apart from this Mr.Perumal the Director of Kootu-K-Kural coordinated the workshop.  He supported all the sessions with Mr.Sivakumar.  He motivated the trainees to take on body exercises, running, playing before the training. This residential training helped the trainees to know each other very well and they come together as a team spirit.

In the feedback everyone appreacited the organizer Mr.Perumal for conduting the workshop at the right time.  They said thanks to Mr.Sivakumar the resource person, and thanks to ADECOM and Kootu-K-Kural.

New thinking to utilize the media for the dalit development

Media is important role to plays in our every day’s life. It creates new ideas, thinking, and development in every field. But the social organizations very less utilize the media for the people development. It is very important to increase the social organization to utilize the media for the development.

Thus, the kootu-k-kural is organizing 4 days workshop on “Social Communication and Media” at Nesal, Arani Block for the staff of social organization working in Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu. This programme is starting at 22nd of November to 25th of November 2007. Dr. T. Sivikumar is the resource person for this workshop along with Ms. Lalida, Managing Trsutee, ADECOM Network and Mr. S. Perumal, Director, Kootu-kural.

This workshop covers the topic of creative speech, creative writing, and how to presents the ideas are the one aspect. The other aspects are to understand the cinema, Short film, Television and Printing Media (News Paper, Magazine. Etc.,)