Mumbai: A voluntary organisation, Magic Bus, has come up with a novel way to reach out to underprivileged children in the city. Drama therapy, as it is called, encourages children to enact their inner-most thoughts and fears. And organisation members vouch for its effectiveness in reaching out to the little ones.
The organisation has collaborated with a British troupe, Thalia, which willvisit India regularly to impart training to its members. “We have been using drama therapy on a regular basis with our children. The sessions are such ice-breakers. Not only do the children lose their reservations, but the staff members become less inhibited. Both enjoy themselves and this eases the atmosphere, thus facilitating discussions on the problems the children face,’’ said Alka Shesha, director, programme and research, Magic Bus.
The techniques are varied. Children are given verbal clues and asked to enact what the words mean to them. Or they are shown objects and told to make associations. Their response is conditioned by incidents from their own lives and this is where the caregivers pick up clues to the problems that need to be addressed. “For instance, we ask them to utter their names in different ways. Or narrate an incident that they associate with the word ‘anger’. Or express how they felt the first time they went for an activity like rock climbing. The moment they say they were frightened while taking the first step is a moment of catharsis. After that, you can have a dialogue with them and deal with their fears. Drama therapy draws them out using fun techniques, so it is better thanpointedly asking children what troubles them,’’ she added.
According to Shesha, street children tends to express only two emotions—anger and happiness. As a result, drama therapy helps them explore other feelings. “We also teach them to control their emotions by asking them to modulate their tone or pitch,’’ she explains. Sometimes, they are asked to enact a skit on themes that signify simple human emotions.
Actor Asif Basra, who holds workshops on drama therapy for voluntary organisations like Vatsalya, Akanksha and Magic Bus and also for Sophia College and TISS, said: “If I were to lecture a child about lying being a bad habit, he will not listen. But if I made him enact a scene showing how a liar was punished, he will understand. Drama is a tool which can incorporate poetry, painting, dance and games. I use similar techniques in my corporate workshops to synergise relationships and leadership skills.’’
Pravin Patkar, director and founder chairperson of voluntary organisation Prerna which works with distressed and underprivileged children, agreed that drama was a powerful means of therapy. “I will equate its benefits with dancing which allows a physical release of latent fears and frustrations. Street children find it easier to enact, draw or paint their feelings, but formal expression inhibits them. Of course, the pride they feel when they perform before an audience at our annual day celebrations cannot be matched,’’ he added.
However, creative expressions like drama therapy are always accompanied by counselling. “A combination of these has been known to lower the incidence of sleeplessness and nightmares in children who suffer posttraumatic stress disorder,’’ said Patkar.