Home > Projects > SOS Children’s Village Projects
Goal :To build a trusting relationship with a community of children and caring adults and kindle an awareness and appreciation of local traditional arts.
History and Past Projects: Although the Aseema Trust has been working in close partnership with the SOS Children’s Village Chennai, Chatnath Homes, for just over ten years, Ms. V.R. Devika has valued a relationship village members since its inception over 25 years ago. Just last year, the Aseema Trust helped the Village to celebrate its silver jubilee with a theatrical program including nearly 200 village children. Other projects sponsored by the Aseema Trust include outreach programs and regular art activities. www.soschatnathhomes.org
Teachers’ Workshops in “Art in Education.”
The Idea: To discuss with teachers the need for creative expressions in school campuses and to lure them away from a dependence on film music.
Method: Continuous discussions with teachers on local art forms and ways to involve art traditions into the curriculum.
A Personal Side: In preparation for the silver jubilee celebrations, the Trust produced a pamphlet of personal stories and children’s poems and artwork. In honor of the children who she has seen grow up in the village, Devika wrote the following story:
Production celebrating 25th anniversary
5th January 2004
Oruthi maganaai piranthu...
The production is based on five principles of
- Trust.
- Honesty
- Self Confidence
- Team work
- Discipline
The whole thing will be discussed through story linked by a narration.
Outline of Script.The stage is in darkness. Music starts (flute). The lights come on slowly. The huge Sun appears (either dropped from above or raised from below by a child). The actor comes in….
Narration from behind the stage.
One upon a time, the Sun shone brightly in the Sky. The Sun gave life to everything that moved around him. His rays shone brightly too….. Two bright rays played together….
Enter Sudha and Yuvaraj with fabric around them as Sun rays….
(A bit of choreography for the entry)
Sudha notices a planet at the far far away …..
S: Look look there is a big round planet moving round and round….
Y: (in Tamil ) Big round planet? where where? ….
S: There see the different colours we can see on it…
Y : (T) That is the earth … shall we go there…
S: That would be very nice….
Y : But we must ask our father, the Sun. ….
The Sun background sound…
REMEMBER MY CHILDREN, IF YOU DECIDE TO GO, YOU WILL LOSE ALL YOUR BRIGHTNESS. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF THINGS ON EARTH.. ARE YOU PREPARED TO LOSE YOUR BRIGHTNESS.
The two kneel down…
Together in English and Tamil…
Yes yes we are prepared to lose our brightness…
The Sun moves up….
Lights fade out…
S and Y on one side of the stage….
S: We are on the earth already….
Y : (T) Yes we are on the earth already… look the water… the seas…
Water choreography with fabrics … some small kids as fish, tortoise, see weeds, sea animals….
S : Look the plants and trees..
Children bring different plants and trees…
Y : and the animals…
Animals come in ……
Small choreography…
S and Y
And the children….
All young children below 7 come in for a choreography.
S and Y : Oh my God. The earth is full of surprises… how beautiful everything is… can you hear some singing…
Choir group comes in singing… they sing
Two young children approach S and Y
Who are you? Are you hungry? Do you want some water? Do you want something to drink?
S and Y : how can you all sing together so well ?
The two : it is because we trust each other.
S : Trust?
Y : Trust (T) means Believing and having faith in others..
The two children : The earth is full of children like us. Just like the different plants and animals, there are different kinds of children . Children who are happy, children who are always fighting, children who help each other, children who trust each other,
S : Of course. We must trust each other should we not? Only if we trust ourselves , we will be honest always. Do you know the story of the kin with a rin on his fin?
Children : “No we don’t…”
The King With a Ring On his Finger
Characters and actors
King : Sudhakar
Umbrella holder and sidekick : Manoj
4 dancing girls: Ambika, Abhirami, Shirley, Ambika
4 courtiers : Sabarinath, John, Gokul, Srinath
Magician : Manikantan
Narrators : Sudha , Yuvaraj
Sudha speaks in English and Yuvaraj will speak in Tamil
Narrator (S) : Once upon a time, there was a King with a ring on his finger.
Narrator (Y) : and that king was very very powerful. He conquered every land he could think of.
S: all other kings were very very scared of him.
Y: All the people in his kingdom were very very very very scard of him…..
Both : look look here comes the king.
First the procession enters. The courtiers holding decorations. They come and take positions. Then comes the King. With a majestic gait. Music and lots of Jai Jai coming from back stage. The dancing girls putting flowers in etc.
King : I am the King of Tambaram.
All : Tambaram King Jai Jai.
King : Do you know where Tambaram is?
Dancing girls + courtiers
- : It is in Madras your Majesty.
- : shoooo Madras is now called Chennai
- : Yes your majesty Tambaram is in Chennai.
- : Chennai is in Tamilnadu
- : Tamilnadu is in India
- : India is in Asia
- : Asia is in the world..
- : The world is in a galaxy.
Sound keeps increasing and the music reaches a height.
King : And I am the King of the world. I have the greatest powers….
- The most omnipotent
- The most magnificent
- The most powerful
- the most generous
- the most humorous
- the most intelligent
- the most compassionate
- the most knowledgeable
- the most entertaining
- the most inspiring
- the most kind
- the most courageous
King : all right all right. I know I am the greatest… but please don’t tell anyone all of my power is in this ring that I am wearing. See how magnificent it is . It was made for me by a special magician.
All : It is because of the ring that the king is
- The most omnipotent
- The most magnificent
- The most powerful
- the most generous
- the most humorous
- the most intelligent
- the most compassionate
- the most knowledgeable
- the most entertaining
- the most inspiring
- the most kind
- the most courageous
King : Ha ha ha… but please don’t tell anyone… I don’t want my rival kings to know about it. It is time for a dance. Let us relax.
(Dance )
King : Oh ! I am feeling very hot. I need a bath. I must hide the ring where no one can see it. All of you close your eyes.
King goes for the bath. Comes and looks for the ring.
King : Screams Oh No… the ring is missing…. What shall I do now? Oh my god… Oh my god… Other kings should not know I have no ring..Who stole my ring?
All : Not me your Majesty… ( in different ways)
King : I must now call the magician who gave me the ring. Call the magician.
Magician makes a great entry in his funny costume. (music) Om broom roooom chooomantrakkkkkkkaaaaaaaaaali abracadabra…….here comes the greatest magician on earth… that’s me….
Magician : Your Majesty what magic trick shall do for you today? Shall I make all these people disappear… On broom room, chooo mantrakkkkaaaaaali Abrakadabra…..
King : Oh! Magician what can I tell you… I have lost my ring…
Magician : (Shocked ) the magic ring!!!!!!!???????
King : yes I have asked everyone. Please find it for me before other kings find out that I have no more power pleaaaaaaaaaaseeeeeeeeeee…..
Magician : who stole the ring did you did you (asks everyone)
All : not me not me. (In different ways)
Magician (thinks for a while… ): Ok King I have an idea…. Runs out… brings 8 sticks of 2 feet length. Gives it to each one of the courtiers and the dancing girls…. They all look at it amused… ) Now these are not ordinary sticks they are magic sticks. All of you take it with you and bring it back tomorrow morning.
All : Is that all ? (They do a stick dance….)
Magician : Stop stop stop. The magic stick will do a magic trick…
All : Magic trick? What magic trick?
Magician : Yes Yes… tomorrow morning when you all bring the sticks, one will be longer?
All : One will be longer?!!
Magician : yes the stick that the thief of the ring has taken will become longer by three inches by tomorrow morning. You may all go now…
They all move out.
Narrators.
S: The thief will have a sleepless night tonight.
Y : Yes Yes let us also go to sleep.
S: Wake wake up it is morning
The procession of the King comes in…
The magician comes in.
They all bring their sticks. The magician examines every stick one is shorter by three inches.
Magician : “Now we know who the thief is … he is so guilty about his crime that he has cut it by three inches. Ha ha haha….”
King : See whatever lie we can tell others you can not tell a lie to yourself. Your mind will punish you in some way or the other. Honesty is the best policy.
All : Honesty is the best policy….