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The ongoing Auto Expo at Pragati Maidan is all about cars. With nearly 2000 people having died on Delhi roads this past year, safety however, is the issue of prime importance. Addressing this reality, Maruti Suzuki is running a road safety play near the exhibition area.

Staged by the accomplished Asmita theatre group and directed by veteran Arvind Gaur, “Hatke Bachke”, is street theatre at its best. It uses simply the power of acting, devoid of all artifice to lay out a message. Through humour and sensitivity, it addresses issues of the killer Blueline buses, the erring two-wheeler rider, the arrogant and drunk truck driver and the careless jaywalker. With the tagline, “Dilli shahar hadso ka shahar hai,” the young and energetic theatre troupe re-created the chaos of Delhi roads. Vehicles weave in and out brazenly. Rules are ignored. Speed becomes essential and caution is thrown to the wind.

Recent events are added to the script, giving it a deeper relevance. It is asked why people don’t help others. The victim could be your father, your mother or your child, the play warns. It creates the story of a young boy and his doting mother. The boy is killed by a bus. And the audience empathises with the mother’s loss. Through pointed incidents like this it beseeches the audience to go to automobile training schools, like the one run by Maruti.

To the credit of the acting and direction, the play grabbed a sizeable audience. Businessmen and laymen stopped in their busy tracks to decipher the action. Engrossed by it they responded wholeheartedly. Feedback from the audience is essential to all street theatre. After a resounding applause, the actors merged into the crowd. People freely gave their time and comments. An elderly gentleman said that the problem started at home, with parents giving their young sons two-wheelers. Another audience member added, “Rules sab jante hain. Lekhin koi manta nahin.”

This play ought to be taken to other public spaces because of its essential message and powerful presentation.

NANDINI NAIR

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