Charge of the youth brigade

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Youngsters rehearse for the flashmob

Over the last weekend, there has been a flurry of activity at the Deer Park. A group of young men and women were seen gyrating enthusiastically. As popularly perceived, they were not a part of any dance club or hobby class. The group was rehearsing for the flashmob that is supposed to hit the streets on February 14. Eve Ensler’s idea of One Billion Rising (OBR) movement, has found a strong resonance amongst the city youth and many are gearing up for reclaiming the streets on D-day. Flash mobs, street plays and musical performances will merge at the Parliament Street at 5pm to show solidarity towards the cause of violence against women.
The flashmobs in the city are being coordinated by a group of young professionals, Delhi Rising. “All of us belong to different walks of life and inspite of our busy professional lives, we are preparing ourselves for the big day. We have been rehearsing for a month now and have released an instructional video on our Facebook page,” says Sakshi Bhalla, a development worker, choreographer and member, Delhi Rising.
She along with another member, Reema Gudwani has choreographed the dance sequence on a song, Dilli Jago, composed by Karsh Kale and Gaurav Raina. The group is being helped by NGOs like Sangat and Jagori. “Consciously, we have tried to do away with renowned names. There are about 35-40 participating groups. Most of them will be spontaneous acts,” says Garima, OBR coordinator, Sangat.
The NGOs along with Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) and the Delhi Rising group, have been training youth from communities in Madangir, Dakshinpuri and Nangal Raya in choreography to be a part of the flash mobs.
“Around 200 youngsters are participating. They have been performing at various localities and market areas to prepare for the big day,” informs Promod Chauhan, programme officer, CAFR. The OBR movement is planning to address all sections of the society.
Many men are also going to be a part of the mobs, says Sakshi. “For the OBR, around 7-8 core members will be playing. We are going to be there because we believe in the cause,” says Dr Tarun Roy, member, Delhi Drummers, a collective of drumming enthusiasts.
“We have been active post the brutal Nirbhaya case. For OBR we will be holding 5-6 shows of Dastak, a play that deals with atrocities, in different parts of the city,” says Shilpi Maurya, member, Asmita theatre group.