Kid Powered Films for Nation Building

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.

Prince Jigme Dorji of Bhutan captivated by the children at the CHELSEA Center.

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).

A film shoot in progress in a slum

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.

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.

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.