• Finding Me

    October 17, 2017

    “Being a part of Yuva Ekta was possibly the most defining part of my school days. ‘Finding Me’ was an incredible journey that truly delivered what it promised: me finding myself. The project involved several months of workshops and rehearsal and culminated in a street-play performance in Bluebells School International- my alma mater,  and Dilli Haat. It taught me the meaning of social change and how the Arts can be an influential way of making it happen. All that time I spent with the team, having conversations about sensitive issues and laughing about our adolescent joys, changed me for the better. It not only helped me connect to the essence of our mission but also turned me into a more tolerant individual, accepting of the experiences, similarities and differences that make us who we are. I am truly grateful to the Yuva Ekta Foundation for helping me discover a piece of myself that I am now so fond of.”

    – Kamakshi Dadhwal is a student of Bluebells School, Delhi who is studying to obtain a Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology (University of Tampa) and Philosophy (University of Oxford). She has been associated with The Foundation for the best part of this decade. She loves to dance and thinks that the only way to truly appreciate cultural diversity is to travel and make friends all over the world. Kamakshi aspires to be a college professor who empowers the youth.

    We are young, caught in our dilemmas; navigating through tricky paths only to arrive at crossroads. There’s so much to do, yet we need to make all these choices. At the end of the day, who am I even looking at in the mirror? Who is my true “self”?

    A looking glass perspective on today’s youth, ‘Finding Me’ was designed as a series of sketch representations on the issues the young adults face today. Exploring the endless journey- finding our ‘self’, the play explored through everyday scenarios, music and movement the identity crises that young people everywhere face!

    With a cast comprising of young people from starkly different backgrounds, most aspects of the play were as reflective and as ‘real’ as they could get. The workshops explored complex and grave issues like drug and alcohol abuse, body image disorders, bullying etc. to understand the identity crisis synonymous with this age group. Workshops urged the participants to journey inward and develop a better understanding of ‘self” in relation to ‘others’. 

    The musical element was vivaciously strong in the performance. Artists and musicians like Anubhuti Sharma and SCORE (an acapella group of young musicians from Delhi) had partnered with the Foundation for this production. Other aspects of stagecraft including Mime Acting and Physical Theatre were explored with the help of artists like Gilles Chuyen and Dilip Shankar. These tools and more made the workshop experiences a cathartic one for the participants.

    The play was performed in Bluebells School International in front of distinguished set of guests and dignitaries from United Kingdom consisting of Minister Fiona Hyslop  (Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs and the Scottish National Party), Geoff Pope (Team Leader-Asia Pacific, International Division, Scottish Government), Rob Pyrne (Former Director, British Council India), Dana Macleod (Program Producer, British Council) and Jane Davidson (Director, Outreach and Education, Scottish Opera) among others in the delegation. The audience also included students from various schools and NGOs in Delhi.  

    The response we received for the performance was amazing. The fact that this play explore journey to discover ‘Self’ made sure it resonated with audience members irrespective of age, class and nationality.

     

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