Ila and the demon days

There are several ways to resist – art, writing, on-ground mobilization, love, sex, friendship, theatre.

When Ila, a college student, witnessed violence in her home and neighborhood being perpetuated by men upon women and girls during the COVID-19 lockdown, she knew she could not be a bystander. Ila had been a part of the SELF academy organized by CREA where she had built her capacity to organize in the face of oppression.

‘SELF academy gave me the lens’ – Ila got together with some of her friends and approached her college to grant them an ‘essential services travel pass’ so they could conduct sensitization sessions in their communities.

The college was a station point for migrants returning home and had the authority to grant travel passes. Ila explained to them that curbing the violence is an essential need and it was impacting the physical, sexual and mental health of women and girls and the college granted them the pass. Ila used the medium of theater (she organized out street plays/ nukkad naataks with her friends over 10 days) to sensitize communities on the issue of GBV.

Theater worked as a medium to get the point across. She received messages from several women informing her that the violence at home had reduced after the men watched the street play.

Artwork by OZ.

Story curated by CREA.

View the illustrated story here.