Home > Projects > Therapy through the Arts

Goal : To help communities and individuals suffering from tragedies to cope with their emotions through arts performances and workshops.

History and Past Projects: The Aseema Trust has led several healing initiatives through the arts. Most recently, Ms. VR Devika worked with a group of young girls at the Avvai Homes, a Chennai-based school for underprivileged children. The group of 100 youth performed traditional song and dance for their fellow classmates in July, 2005. The most extensive therapy programs to date, however, have been tsunami rehabilitation efforts.

Tsunami Rehabilitation:

Since the Tsunami struck on December 26, 2005, the Aseema Trust has been bringing arts programs to communities devastated by the destruction. This work has primarily been in partnership with the SOS Children’s Village of Chennai, Chatnath Homes, as they have supported Pudukuppam Village in Nagapattinum district, one of the worst-effected areas in all of India. Funding for these projects has come from World Education in Boston, MA, USA, from a Jewish congregation in Northampton, MA, and from individual donors. Artistic contributions to date include:

  • Storytelling sessions and donation of writing materials for children in the immediate aftermath of the Tsunami.
  • A puppet show by puppeteer who was, himself, rehabilitated by the Aseema trust after his tools of trade were washed off by the Tsunami.
  •  An all-night traditional theatrical performance from the Mahabharatha, enacted by the traditional Koothu artists' association of Kanchipuram.
  • Sponsorship of Nalamdana health education/theater troop in Pudukuppam Village.
  • Storytelling session at the SOS Community Center in Nagapattinum and donation of books about the tsunami.
  • Donation of 156 bags of rice, note books, text books, school bags, and water bottles for children for Nemmelikuppam village near Chennai.
  • Sponsorship of white washing of the Thirupporur government school which provided shelter for the victims in the immediate aftermath of the wave. Many Tsunami-affected children now study in the school. The Aseema Trust has sponsored one year of salary for two teachers to work at the school

Looking Ahead: Aseema plans to continue working with Tsunami victims in Pudukuppam and other villages through arts therapy with the hope that out of this tragedy can arise an opportunity for societal integration and a renewed appreciation for the arts.

A Personal Side: Young Manonmani, only 11 years old, saw her younger brother and sister washed away with the Tsunami's rage as she clung to a tree. In one of the arts therapy sessions with the Aseema Trust, Manonmani asked how to spell two words only; "swim" and "house." She has used drawing as an outlet to express her pain.

A Chronicling of Aseema's Tsunami Work by VR Devika:

5th, 6th January, 2005

In the first week of the New Year, Ms.Sangeeta Isvaran, a dancer who works with children, accompanied me in a tour of three villages ravaged by the Tsunami in Nagapattinam district to work with children. The Trust's role was to stimulate the imaginations and creativity of children traumatized by the tragedy as a means of therapy. We first met a group of children that was loitering around the school-turned refugee camp in Poompuhar, the historic place where the great Tamil epic Silappadikkaram is said to have taken place. These children would sit under a tree and listen to stories with hand gestures which they immensely enjoyed. There was much interaction and an eagerness to participate and learn. Children have been seeing many strangers come to their place these days. They need a distraction and activity.

The Aseema trust is ready to prepare a plan for supplementing the work done in relief and rehabilitation with art activities. Possible activities are

  1. Story telling sessions to kindle the imagination in the children.
  2. Movement sessions for confidence building.
  3. Workshops in theatre for self expression.
  4. Sensing nature sessions to learn to respect nature .
  5. Vocabulary building sessions in English which they said they desperately desire .
  6. Workshops in craft activities: terracotta, painting, palm leaf work etc.
  7. Mapping of the surroundings, resources of the place etc.
  8. Creative thinking in math with kolam, music etc.
  9. Spinning workshops with respect for diversity as a theme.
  10. puppet shows .

These activities are proposed to be done with the help of experts in each area. These can be done as short term workshops to supplement the teaching that will be done. These activities will give the children creative thinking and will enhance their scholastic achievements.

19th January

I visited Pudukuppam with artists Kalairani and Priyadarshini Govind. Temporary shelters had been constructed in lands ruined by the Tsunami. We went from house to house talking to people about their situations. Young Manonmani, 11 years old, told us she had gone to wash clothes in the common tap when a sudden gush of water raised her up. She clung to the branch of the tree and saw her younger brother and older sister being washed away. She said she was going to school that day and had to write English test. But she said she was blank in her mind. She said she needed to know the spelling for two English words “Neechal” using the Tamil word for swim and house. We understood her trauma and the need for her to communicate it. We decided to work on a community arts program.

Kalairani did some theatre exercises for the children and Priyadarshini Govind showed dance movements. I conducted story telling with gestures and body movements at the Balavadi. Several children belonging to the Balavadi had been washed away by the Tsunami and teachers were saying they missed those children.

5th February

The traditional Tamil theatre of Therukoothu is not just entertainment. It is also performed for purging the society of its grief and also to celebrate the good things in life. Karna Moksham, an episode from the Mahabharatha is ritualistically performed to pray for the safe passage to heaven of the deceased. The Kattakuttu artists’ association in Kanchipuram approached The Aseema Trust to organize one such performance and offered to perform it free of cost. The Aseema Trust partnered with Prakriti Foundation and organized an all night performance of Karna Moksham koothu at Urur Kuppam in Chennai to pray for the peace of all those lost in all places in South East Asia. It was a very moving performance.

21st, 22nd and 23rd February 2005: “Workshop on story telling for healing”

A workshop for volunteers and others working for tsunami rehabilitation was organized by The Aseema Trust in partnership with Goodbooks, Tulika Publishing and Karnaprayag. Ms. Vayu Naidu, a professional storyteller now settled in the UK, was visiting India on December 26th and saw the Tsunami waves as she was driving by the sea. She was first to arrive in Nemmeli Kuppam to help.

The workshop had urban volunteers partner with youth from two Kuppams (kuppam is Tamil for fishing village). The idea was to share stories and perform them as a skit in the Kuppam and have a discussion about living after Tsunami and the measures that need to be taken. Two days of workshops at Karnaprayag followed a visit to Nemmeli Kuppam to interact with the villagers there.

It was a satisfying workshop and gave clues for sharing stories in a dramatic manner.

21st March 2005: “Theatre for message dissemination”

A follow up of the storytelling workshop was theatre performance by Nalamdana, an organization that works with theater for spreading health messages at Nemmeli Kuppam The play dealt with alcoholism, early marriages, HIV aids and the Tsunami's effects. There was a pre play interaction with the audience and follow up post play.

25th April 2005: “ Puppetry for healing “

A leather shadow puppet show by Selvaraj, a traditional puppeteer whose puppets had all been washed away into the sea by the Tsunami performed scenes from the Ramayana with comedy interludes. It was greatly appreciated by the people of Pudukuppam.

26th April 2005: “Bharathanatyam for healing”

Bharathanatyam dancers Daya and Monita from Chennai arrived with musicians Vanathi, Divya, Vedakrishnan and Srinivasan. They gave a performance of Bharathanatyam which was interpreted for the village and my context in story telling and question and answer form. Elements of Bharathanatyam and its narrative techniques were explained with the performance.

Many declared they had never seen a Bharathanatyam performance and had been educated about it now.

27th April 2005

A puppet show by Selvaraj and a story telling session with me was organized at the Willington House training center in Nagapattinam. Children shared their own stories of the Tsunami and its aftermath. I did a story telling session with dance mudras. Selaraj’s puppet show was a hit. Then children did two dances and a skit about life of fishermen. Additional Collector Mr.Ranvir Prasad was present through the evening and gave an inspiring speech. More such programs were requested by the children.

In Chennai, Selvaraj, a traditional shadow puppeteer who lived by the sea in Chennai had lost all his puppets in the Tsunami. The Aseema Trust wanted to rebuild his livelihood at the earliest and decided to help two puppeteers in great need. A poverty-stricken puppeteer from Andhra who wanted to sell his puppets was summoned and given a good price for the puppets he wanted to sell. These were then given to Selvaraj. He was also given a stall at Dakshinachitra heritage center to sell his puppets, as well as the use of musical instruments. Aseema assisted Selvaraj in applying to organizations such as the Sangeet Natak Academy for aid.

To read more about the Tsunami Relief work of SOS Children's Villages, Chatnath Homes, in Nagapattinam District, click here.