It was on an evening at Badampet village in Hatnoor mandal of Sangareddy district last month. A play was on, on the open dais and people were sitting here and there, enjoying it with actors performing with emotions. A scene is dealing with a daughter-in-law not bringing dowry and she is being grilled by mother-in-law.
Stopping the play there, director P. Madhusudhan left the audience with a question ‘Idi Intena?’ No was the answer from audience. A woman Veeramani said that people must not demand dowry and everyone needs to oppose it. Why she reacted so to a play? “I my self had bitter experiences when I was newly married. My mother-in-law asked for gold which my parents could not give. The pressure I faced was so huge that the movement I witnessed the scene in the play I had responded immediately,” Ms. Veeramani told The Hindu.
In another village- Panyala – when the play was presented another day, Survarna, a woman questioned discrimination against offering equal education to girl-child. “My father discriminated against me to get educated further when there was a chance. That is why I had reacted and argued for education to girl children,” says Suvarna.
This is how ‘Idi Intena?,’ a play performed as Forum Theater, created awareness among the public on various issues. In the play the artists are dealing five main issues – dowry, deprivation of education to girl-child, love marriage between different castes/ religions, alcoholism and people selling their land falling in the trap of realtors.
After touching all the topics in the play, at the end the director in the form of Joker enters and asks the people present there ‘Idi Intena?’
Connecting their lives at one or other point of the play, people are giving their own conclusions and answers to the issues. The play is being organised by Kudali Learning Centre located at Badampet village of Hatoora mandal of Sangareddy district.
“Idi Intena? was premiered at the Kudali Learning Centre on May 1 and subsequently has been performed in nine villages of Sangareddy and Medak districts. There has been overwhelming response from the audience, and the play is set to travel to other parts of the district and the State. People aged between 18 to 60 years have acted in the play,” said Mr. Madhusudhan.
