10Children - Art for change

"सोपं नसतंच काही" “Nothing is easy”
The theatreplay "सोपं नसतंच काही" (transl. “Nothing is easy”) has been written by Vibhawari Deshpande, who together with Shrirang Godbole founded Rainbow Umbrella, an organisation that aims to develop quality youth theatre for young audiences in India. 

Summary of the play: It is just another night in a hutment next to a fourteen storied apartment complex. Three teenage girls, Sapna, Komal and Sunny gather in an abandoned shack which is presumed to be haunted. The residents of the adjacent fancy complex have turned it into a scrapyard and dumped old furniture, clothes, books and all sorts of scrap in it. All three have gathered there for their own reasons. Sapna is dealing with the disappointment of academic failure, Komal is planning to run away with her prince charming while Sunny is hiding to avoid getting caught for a petty theft. These three girls are fighting the evils of their poverty. They have lost hope and are trying to find easy and fast ways out of their realities. They are aware that the shack is haunted yet they are finding refuge and solace. They get intrigued and scared as an unknown woman dressed in the old Maharashtrian attire appears. The door of the shack gets locked from outside and they realise they are stuck. The old lady introduces them to another door which can only be opened with a magic spell. Clueless of what to do, the girls embark on a journey through the stories in the books and newspapers and meet three women across eras who have found their paths and changed their lives through education. The girls get awakened and inspired by this experience. The old lady who navigates them throughout this journey is herself an iconic figure in the field of women’s education. The girls don’t just find the magic spell that opens the door but also discover the key to a better and more emancipated life; education.