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BAL NATYA UTSAV : : (Children Theatre Festival)
(A Process Report) : : by Darshana Dube

IMPACT ON NGOs

In order to have an objective perception to BNU, the following eminent personalities belonging to different organizations, which have been instrumental in taking BNU to its present status, were asked to express their views and share their observations. All of them have been involved in the welfare activities for the children in different capacities. All of them agree to a common fact that ETF is doing a unique job of mingling social activism with the theatre.

Mr. Saji Thomas the coordinator, of CCVC [Coordination Committee for the Vulnerable Children] has played a very important role in materialization of BNU. He says, “ The U.N. convention of 1989 recognized the children’s right to participation as a crucial one that is not yet recognized by many NGOS. We are striving to create awareness and promote the process through our various programs and BNU is one of the programs that would create an actual platform for demonstrating the practical implications of the CCVC process on Children's right to participation and therefore is of crucial significance to the process which was initiated much before the birth of BNU.”

According to him, theatre is a very powerful medium to achieve this end as it provides an effective platform to children to spread their message to the society by acting as advocates of their own rights. He says, “The BNU also has had a visibly positive impact on the member organizations. The manifold use of theatre as a tool for personal empowerment, social sensitization and social empowerment is being appreciated more and more by the organizations associated with CCVC. Discussions at the CCVC meetings have considered having theatrical activities on a regular basis.”

Swati Mukhrji, the director of Vatsalya Foundation strongly feels that the personality of the children has developed tremendously through the theatre, as they are able to use a lot of their initiative.

Mr. Ravi Pednekar, from YUVA, a social activist working for the rights of street children, who has witnessed the growth in different children who participated in 3 consecutive BNU says, “Exposure to the theatre has helped these children to get rid of their inhibitions and turned them into capable extroverts. It has also offered them a good chance to interact with many other children at a very different level.”

According to Mr. Viswas Dhumal the, principal of Shivai Vidya Mandir School, “ the students realize their potential through such a participation where they get a chance to observe other better performersr coming from the lower socio- economic section. As my students belong to the better strata of the society they realize being lucky and it boosts them to reach their potential through sheer hard work.” He feels that more schools should participate in BNU that could be held more than once a year, as it is a powerful tool for the growth of children’s personality.

Malati Pillai – the program officer for child rights and protection, working for UNICEF, Mumbai says, “ Theatre is a very effective medium that provides a platform to the children to express and thereby encourage them to access their right to participation. The good thing about BNU is that it is open to vulnerable children. UNICEF is not just a funding agency or an NGO but it also gets involved in the children’s issues by extending its technical expertise.”

Jyoti Wadekar, a senior executive working for CRY says, “ CRY has been involved with ETF right from its inception stage in all capacities including the financial and one thing is sure that, BNU has finally turned the concept of theatre of relevance into a reality that has sensitized the masses about the children’s issues to bring about the social reforms by offering a common platform to the children to build their confidence.”

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