One Step Forward Towards Making the Dream Come True

[Shahrukh Atpade]

For the past two years, continuous work under the SALT process has been taking place in Washi village through the Avani organization. SALT conversations were held with people from all groups in the village. Through these conversations, everyone came together to dream for their village and to begin the journey of turning those dreams into reality. During this process, many sensitive and important issues came to light.

In these dreams, it became clear that there is a strong need to work on issues such as discrimination, harassment of girls and women, the increasing romantic relationships among adolescent boys and girls, and the serious negative impact of alcohol on families.

After some time, the young boys and girls realized that the dreams they had seen for their village should not remain limited to themselves. They felt that these dreams must reach other people in the village as well. With this thought, the Avani organization and the children decided to present their dreams to society through a street play.

Imran from the Avani Smile team, who is highly skilled in playwriting, took responsibility for writing the play. The play was named “Listen to Us Too.” The name was chosen by the children themselves, as it reflected their heartfelt wish for society to listen to their dreams and thoughts. The play included strong themes such as discrimination, harassment, the difference between love and attraction, and the harm caused by alcohol.

After the play was completed, some powerful and thought-provoking lines were added at the end. Through these, the young boys and girls clearly said that their dream is to see all these problems completely stopped. By asking, “Will you be a part of our dream?” they invited people to join them in making this dream come true.

Every evening, after completing their school studies, the children regularly spent three hours practicing. Their consistent effort showed their determination, discipline, and strong desire to bring change.

Ganesh Festival, considered the most important festival in Kolhapur district, was to begin on 19 September. During this time, the entire village comes together. Meetings were held with the festival committees, discussions were done about the street play, and time was fixed for the performances. It was decided to present the street play at two places in Washi village.

The young boys and girls presented their dream in a very sensitive and powerful way. In some moments, men lowered their heads in self-reflection, while in other moments, tears flowed from the eyes of women. When the children once again invited everyone to join their dream at the end, the villagers assured them of their support.

Around 500 to 600 people in Washi village experienced this dream. Later, the same street play was also performed in the villages of Nandwal, Pirwadi, and Kandgaon, making the journey of this dream even wider.

Throughout this entire process, the Smile team received valuable guidance from Ritu Nanda from GFC and Ms. Anuradha Bhosale Tai, President of the Avani organization.

AER

1. We felt deep happiness while presenting our dream for our village. When we performed this dream in front of the people, we could see pride in our parents’ eyes, and that moment was very special for us.

2. Through this dream, we strongly feel that we will receive positive support from all groups in the village, and together we will continue our journey towards making this dream a reality.