Vartika Nanda’s presentation regarding domestic violence, organised not long back in New Delhi’s CSOI, Chanakyapuri, marked the beginning of a national campaign to generate awareness about the issue.
The show was held to draw attention to her upcoming book “Raniyan Sab Jaanti Hai” which focuses on the issue of domestic violence inflicted on women in the upper crust of society. The evening saw dramatic performances of music, vocals, poetry and dance.
The presentation was based on poems from “Tinka Tinka Tihar”, an anthology of poetry that includes writings by women inmates of Tihar jail, edited by Vartika Nanda and Vimla Mehra.
Kuchipudi dancer and choreographer Arunima Kumar focused on the idea of the silence of the domestic violence victim, with lines such as “Main maun rehna chahti hun” (I wish to remain silent). Her eyes perfectly illustrated the pain and anguish of the victim and they equally well described the power and rage of a woman. The poetry recitation’s dramatic effect was further amplified by the addition of light folksy music and the striking of Arunima’s feet with resounding ghungroos, that gave each verse a powerful expression.
Vartika, who has been awarded the Stree Shakti Puraskar by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, for her exceptional work in promoting women’s empowerment, said, “Women from upper classes of society may seem empowered but when they suffer from domestic violence, they too have nowhere to go. Through this book and performance I want to pose an important question — for how long will we wait before breaking the silence on this issue?”
Arunima’s dance performance echoed this message when she ended with her mouth covered with a piece of black cloth to signify the suppressed voices of victims of domestic violence.
Vartika added, “ Raniyan or women from upper class families are just as helpless on the issue of domestic violence as women of lower strata are. Through this event I also want to bring out the fact that our current anti-domestic violence act is very weak.”
