8 months ago
2
Acid onslaught survivors person taken centre signifier — virtually and figuratively — astatine the Durga Puja by Dakshindari Youths this twelvemonth successful Kolkata. As portion of their taxable ‘Dahan’ (burning), astir 5 acerb onslaught survivors on with pistillate theatre practitioners are sharing their communicative with pandal hoppers visiting the puja.
Every time till Dashami, a radical of pistillate actors are staging a unrecorded theatrical show successful the Puja pandal, intermittently passim the day, depicting unit against women. Occasionally, the acerb onslaught survivors — 4 of whom hail from West Bengal — are stepping up to stock their lived acquisition and protestation against the crime.
“Durga Puja received the tag of Intangible Cultural Heritage from UNESCO a fewer years backmost and has emerged arsenic a taste improvement connected the planetary platform. Lakhs of radical are expected to sojourn our pandal each day. So, we thought of utilizing this scope to rise consciousness astir the unit against women, particularly successful the signifier of acerb attacks,” Partha Verma, associated caput of Dakshindari Youths told The Hindu.
It is worthy noting that West Bengal recorded the highest fig of acerb attacks successful the state successful 48 cases and 52 victims, according to the 2022 study by the National Crime Records Bureau.
“Acid onslaught is simply a horrific transgression that is committed adjacent to this day. For our metallic jubilee year, we wanted to spell beyond conscionable creating an aesthetic Puja pandal. We volition see our efforts this twelvemonth to beryllium palmy if we tin evoke empathy and consciousness adjacent successful a tiny conception of radical oregon bring astir a alteration successful mindset successful those who are inclined to inflict specified violence,” Mr. Verma added.
The creator for this Durga Puja is Anirban Das.
Upon entering the pandal, visitors are instantly met with creator imagery of national protests against acerb attacks. The idol of the ten-handed Goddess Durga features a ample perforation successful the tummy area, representing the hollow remains near down successful the lives of victims of violence. All astir the idol, determination are creator renditions of figures from celebrated paintings similar the Mona Lisa, successful the discourse of the symptom experienced by women successful violence.
During the unrecorded performance, actors execute crossed the pandal and adjacent down the idol, becoming disposable done the ample perforation astatine the centre of the idol
“As 1 tin see, determination are respective mirrors and dressing tables placed astir the idol. The mirrors person each been made opaque. This represents the information that astir acerb onslaught survivors are known to suffer their eyesight aft the onslaught and are incapable to spot themselves successful the reflector anymore. There is besides a batch of symptom erstwhile they comprehend themselves successful the reflector aft the attack,” Mr. Verma said.
‘Festive gimmicks’
However, Shaheen Malik, an acerb onslaught subsister and activistic who runs the NGO Brave Souls Foundation, said specified initiatives are specified gimmicks if the consciousness programme is not carried retired consistently passim the year.
“It is tragic that radical yet remembered america acerb onslaught survivors for the involvement of a festival theme. For the remainder of the year, the aforesaid radical volition not attraction astir america oregon the issue. There is nary usage of doing this for 10 days successful a twelvemonth during the festive play and not doing thing for survivors oregon for prevention for the remainder of the year,” Ms. Malik said.
She highlighted that West Bengal has precocious been witnessing a precocious fig of cases of unit against women and has consistently recorded immoderate of the highest fig of acerb onslaught cases successful the country.
“It is simply a shame that the aforesaid State that worships the Devi besides witnesses specified unit against women. People dainty america similar a festive taxable and past massage their egos arsenic though they person done thing great. Acid attacks arsenic a societal contented should beryllium ever addressed and treated with utmost importance. We merit to beryllium valued each day, not conscionable during Durga Puja,” Ms. Malik said.
