Our Why
There is a gap in a deeper understanding of the self, society and the world. While there are notions of these in each person, these notions are more often than not caught in single stories of gender, caste, class, religion, different abilities and intelligences, language, ethnicity, etc.
43 per cent of children below the age of 5 in India do not meet their developmental potential. Co-existing within class, caste, gender, religion and socio-economic inequalities from a young age, they are at risk of long-term behavioural and emotional problems. Yet their psychosocial needs (mental, social, cultural and developmental) at home and school are systematically denied. With the lack of consistent access to psychosocial safety, they are unable to realise their potential.
This long-term sustained violence and trauma across generations denies any possibility of democratic dialogue with so many people being rendered voiceless. The lack of dialogue negates the possibility of societal transformation.
Moving towards change isn’t possible unless one is able to see beyond these single stories and discover the possibility of multiple stories.
The core group at Aagaaz, unlike many of their peers, has been able to dialogue with their families against early marriage, to stay in school, become the first in generations of their families to get a college education, staying off drugs, and are able to hold jobs.
These change-makers and their family members are now ambassadors of change in their neighbourhoods.
Their primary language of impacting themselves, their immediate society and the world around them is through theatre.
Through their theatre, our audiences are able to think critically about their own selves and worlds – the first step into creating a better version of the world.
