An inspiring story of a unique partnership of two
NGOs- WAG CHELSEA and "Kid Powered Media" and their work with
underprivileged children who educate people in the slums around them through
plays and films conceived, scripted, acted and filmed, all by the kids
themselves.
A cycle rickshaw ride from the Shahadra ( it literally means “door of
the kings”) metro station to the interiors of the trans Yamuna habitations on a
rainy day takes one through mountains of garbage and filth lining the open
drains on both sides of the roads. The onslaught of stench on ones senses could
debilitate the mind as well as the soul. The pot holes in the roads are the
size of trenches and honking no longer serves the purpose of clearing ones way
through the traffic; the automobile drivers, rickshaw pullers and the
pedestrians use their lung power laced with the most caustic words and tones to
get their way through. The often encountered splash from the deadly sewage
overspill on the roads as vehicles whizz past each other; was a metaphoric
reminder of the rival politicians’ and administrations’ invectives against each
other blaming why parts of India still do not have the basic infrastructure for
a decent human existence.
Surely this region of Purani Dilli (Old Delhi) was not a cesspool when it was built by the
Mughals. The common elite Indian’s callousness and selfishness always tries to
find causes outside of himself for what has gone wrong with our nation which is
supposed to have originated as an elite civilization buttressed by the walls of
ancient wisdom, rich culture and spirituality. It is clichéd even to wonder how
a country which is fast growing into a super power can still have huge pockets
of humanity living below the lowest levels of basic human existence. The
reality defies any rationale.
The crass behaviour of the people’s elected
representatives in the rarefied portals of the Lower and Upper Houses of
Parliament has wiped out any hope of culture and honour prevailing in us
anymore. Art, culture and more so fine arts seem to be the remotest of the
thoughts that can fleet through one’s mind when one is face to face with the
socio-political realities of India, especially the gut wrenching slums of
Shahadra and elsewhere across the country.
But one is mistaken; WAG CHELSEA’s “Happy Media
Club” is an inspiring interface of art, education and the
underprivileged. The valiant efforts of NGO’s like WAG CHELSEA to educate
and empower the underprivileged offers a bright hope of nurturing a
culture and a class of meritorious citizens which even the highest
echelons of our society may not be able to produce. The strength, the grit, the
wisdom and the humour of the youngsters at WAG CHELSEA who call themselves
peer-educators and their efforts to educate the people around them through
plays and films conceived, scripted, acted and filmed by them are indicative of
refined sensibilities and prevalence of culture right in the midst of poverty
and degradation.
WAG
CHELSEA is an almost two decade old
registered NGO an initiative of a group of Army Officers' wives who had resolved
to contribute their bit to the society by discharging what they believed was
their social responsibility. WAG is an acronym for Women’s Action Group and CHELSEA is an acronym: C hildren. H ealth. E ducation. L
adies. S enior citizens. E nvironment. A wareness. Ironically theirs is the most
hacked into website thanks to the popular acronym WAG of the British
tabloid press for the wives and girlfriends of the famous footballers and the
famous CHELSEA football club.
Working to provide a package of
educational, medical, nutritional, emotional, social, recreational and
vocational training and rehabilitation services to marginalized children and
their guardians with a holistic approach to community development at grass
roots level has been an arduous task for WAG CHELSEA. Their programmes
addressing general health, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV and
AIDS; issues of vulnerable children living in difficult circumstances and
malnutrition have been
possible largely through private funding including one from
His Majesty King Jigme of Bhutan and other private donors. The unique concept
of Gross National Happiness in Bhutan signifies its commitment
to building an economy that serves its distinctive culture and spiritual values
and aims at enhancing people’s general level of well being.
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| Prince Jigme Dorji of Bhutan captivated by the children at the CHELSEA Center. |
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| Former US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer has a word of appreciation for Doe Nair of CHELSEA |
The
affable and yet firm Doe Nair who heads WAG CHELSEA does not mince words
when she shares what an uphill task it is to carry on working which is a
constant struggle of overcoming innumerable barriers. Getting
across their good intentions to the local panchayats, winning their confidence
and penetrating the issues through the peer educators chosen from among them by
training them; and at times dealing with the greed of the local troublemakers was
no joke. Doe tells about the dire need for shelters for HIV positive orphans;
palliative care centers for the poor, dying in inhuman conditions, and
providing them dignity in death; addressing malnutrition in pregnant women,
children and young adults; providing vocational training for young adults and
school drop outs to enable them to become responsible citizens of the country
and addressing many other burning issues. The combined efforts of the corporate
social responsibility initiatives by the private sector, the government
initiatives and the myriad NGO’s in the arena, do not seem to have made even an
honorable difference to the existing gloomy scenario. In addition, where is the infrastructure to reach India’s staggering millions of children who
live and work on its urban streets and slum communities? How does one reach the
illiterate who will never go to school or are unlikely to finish school if they
are going now?
WAG
CHELSEA has made its own contribution by bringing about a seemingly impossible
nexus of creative medium like films and work for community development at grass
roots level. The “Happy Media Club” is a small group of peer educators of
CHELSEA who are empowered by another NGO- the Kid
Powered Media (KPM) based in Delhi. The founder of the organisation, Alex
Heywood, who has the experience of working with the street children of India
feels that, “the disadvantaged children throughout India are inherently smart,
ingenious, charismatic and extremely hard working and that despite their
situations, or maybe because of them, they have an exuberance for life and a
remarkable understanding on what is truly meaningful in it.” Alex points
out that most manuals and training materials for working with children advise
the use of “props” or “role-playing” as a valuable tool to help kids comprehend
life skills and issues. It is just that with the advent of affordable means of
production, KPM takes the approach to the next level through films and
complements the format of nukkad nataks (street plays).
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| A film shoot in progress in a slum |
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| A dramatic scene in progress in a nukkad natak |
Alex who worked in the restaurant industry in
Toronto first visited India to taste its delectable cuisine and felt it hard to
return back to the riches at home in Toronto. Having worked with organisations
like the Salaam Balak Trust and Ekta Parishad and International Development
Enterprises India, he discovered the power of films to capture children’s imagination
and educate them through story. Jessie, his American colleague, says that a common denominator for all
the disadvantaged kids is a lack of access to information, basic life-saving
and changing knowledge on issues such as HIV / AIDS, T.B., drugs, empowerment, education and
health.
KPM aims not at creating cinematic masterpieces.
Their films are short, low cost and educational as well as entertaining,
complete with Indian themes and even dances and other masala. However they use children from local communities as the writers,
actors and directors. KPM staff works with the children to cull out scripts in
the classes conducted by them which include open discussions on issues and how they affect their lives, the cause
and effect and thus the story-line develops for the film. The classes help learning through conversations, creative thinking and
problem solving exercises and the use of the arts. In a series of acting workshops,
they work out the scenes for the film, assign roles to the kids and help them
in-front and behind the camera. After shooting them in their neighbourhoods the editing
too is done in-house. Involvement of the kids in the creative process enables
them to produce extremely relevant story lines and moreover suggest realistic
solutions; and most often the audiences directly relate to the issues and
proposed solutions. The classes and workshops are short and concise and are held in
kids’ local communities and are worked around the family and personal
obligations of the children.
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| Screening of a KPM film in a slum- its housefull |
Apart from long and short films and documentaries
with real life stories with educational messages KPM makes interactive films
with multiple endings and outcomes that allow children watching the films to
choose an ending of their choice and learn about the consequences of the
decisions they make. Usually a presentation and a workshop is designed by the
kids to accompany the film during the Kid Powered Theatre screenings.
These presentations are aimed at re-enforcing the theme(s) of the films and
their solutions, while also allowing the spectators to participate in
discussions.
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| The filming of _From Hero to Zero_ |
Through Danger, A Lesson Learned is a film which focuses on
personal safety. The Path revolving around the dangers of drugs has received rave reviews from
children across Delhi for its powerful storyline, intense action and
commendable acting. From Hero To Zero teaches children and parents
about the benefits of being proactive when discussing the 'taboo' social
issues. There are many such short films which stress on the importance of making
informed decisions by the kids. The screening of the films in the slum communities, using portable movie equipment necessitates extra staff which is
hired from amongst the street kids, providing them with jobs. KPM partners
with existing children’s charities like the WAG CHELSEA and helps them
re-imagine how to connect with street and working children.
Indeed there was no doubt while interacting with
the young peer educators at WAG CHELSEA that they are the catalysts for change
both for themselves and within their under privileged communities. Their
leadership skills, self-confidence and the pride and ownership over creative
and educational works of art made by them was amply evident in every one of
them. They were not just the spokespersons for their films but also of the
issues they confront and the new India that they want to usher in.
