Special children of Rays NGO present theatrical performances

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A 40-day theatre workshop ‘Taare Zameen Par, Saare Stage Par’ was organized by the Jaipur based Tamhankar Theatre Academy for the all-round development of the special children of ‘Rays’. The closing ceremony of the presentation-oriented theatrical workshop was recently held at Ravindra Manch where the special children who took training at the workshop enthralled the audience by giving spectacular performances of several plays.

SPECIAL CHILDREN PRESENT THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES

Pink City’s well known NGO ‘Rays -Asha Ki Ek Kiran’ has been treating and caring for HIV-infected and affected children in Rajasthan since 2010. An initiative that started with just two HIV-positive children, now has two homes in Jaipur where 50 such children are being given the necessary support and care to lead a happy and healthy life. During their recent summer vacation, a 40-day theatre workshop entitled ‘Taare Zameen Par, Saare Stage Par’ was organized by the Jaipur based Tamhankar Theatre Academy for the all-round development of the special children of ‘Rays’. The closing ceremony of the presentation-oriented theatrical workshop was recently held at Ravindra Manch where the special children who took training at the workshop enthralled the audience by giving spectacular performances of several plays.

WORKSHOP FOR ALL-ROUND DEVELOPMENT

In the theatre workshop, children were taught all nuances of theatre along with its practise. They were also trained in solo acting, playlet, street play, pantomime, etc. Along with this, special emphasis was given to the personality development of the children during the workshop, so that they can benefit in their student life as well. Apart from acting, the participants were also taught in detail about lighting schemes, sound and music, costumes, amphitheatre, stage concept, etc.

Children of Rays NGO present theatrical performances

Throwing light on the objective of organizing this workshop, the Director of Rays, Captain Gurinder Virk, who is also the patron of Tamhankar Theatre Academy, said: “ Earlier people used to regularly watch play. However, with the onslaught of cinema and OTT, the art form of theatre is dying a slow death. It is important to keep this art form alive and for this the Academy takes several initiatives and performs plays all across the country. The objective of organizing this workshop for the children of Rays is to instil in them confidence and the feeling of being at par with everyone else.”

Talking about her experience of being a part of Rays and the workshop, Mamta Panwar, who has been living at the NGO’s Home since 3 years now said that the theatre workshop not only taught them the intricacies of acting and the different kinds of plays but also boosted their confidence. She further added that the learnings from the workshop will help her in the future as well. Similarly, Ghanshyam Gurjar, another resident of the home from the past 8 years said that the workshop has helped in his overall personality development as well as growth and it has also helped him overcome his shy nature.

PLAYS ENTHRALL THE AUDIENCE

On the occasion of the closing ceremony of the workshop, three plays – ‘Tab Ramenge Devta’, ‘Aasha Ki Ek Kiran’ and ‘Dil Ki Dukaan’ were staged. Children between the ages of 4 to 16 years rendered the theatrical performances. The speciality of this function was that all the work was done by the children.

The programme began with the play, ‘Tab Ramenge Devta’ presented in a street style by the children. In this play based on the theme of women empowerment, all facets of nukkad natak were were showcased. It was written by Hemchandra Tamhankar and directed by Arshiya Parveen. Following this, the short play, ‘Asha Ki Ek Kiran’ was staged. It was written and directed by senior theatre artiste, R. Anurag. The play was based on the experiences of the children. They presented their imagination and ideas through the play. After this, the children performed a purely comedy-drama, ‘Dil Ki Dukaan’ based on a fantasy. It was an adaptation of famous playwright, Rajendra Kumar Sharma’s well-known play, ‘Dil Ki Dukaan’. The play was directed by Arshiya Parveen. The special children displayed their talent in the function and entertained the audience to the fullest.

The best performing children in the workshop were also awarded during the function. Rajasthan State Social Welfare Board President Dr. Archana Sharma was present as the Chief Guest on the occasion. Also present at the event were patrons and supporters of the NGO as well as parents of the children.