CAMPUS DRAMA FOR A CAUSE
Theatre is often employed to raise awareness about social issues, as live performances can convey emotion and leave an enduring impression on audiences. A street play at the Hindustan Times Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2017 (HTKGAF) utilised this element of drama to deliver a unique message. A group of seven college students presented a nukkad natak on organ donation as part of the Fortis More To Give Campaign last week in the Ampitheatre area at the Kala Ghoda venue.
Helmed by Simran Ahuja, a final year student at HR College of Commerce and Economics, the play is based on the true story of a 21-yearold boy named Anmol from New Delhi. He met with a road accident last December. Speaking about the play, Ahuja says, “We presented the story of Anmol, who was declared brain dead when he was brought to the hospital after a fatal accident. His mother then decided right there to donate his organs. Within 24 hours of Anmol’s passing away, three patients received his organs. A 58-yearold man received his liver, and two kidney transplants took place. Several organs can be donated if you’re brain dead. If your heart is still pumping blood, your organs can still be donated.”
To deliver their message on organ donation, the group stood in a circle that represented the circle of life and formed a human pyramid. Urging the audience to sign up for the cause, they used rhyming lines and slo- gans such as, “Mar kar bhi kuch aisa kar jo yaad rahe duniya bhar, organ donor