VISAKHAPATNAM: The girl child is a boon to the family and a blessing to all around. She thinks and often it is but about her family and its wellbeing. But caged in male chauvinistic mindset, society tends to treat her as an unequal. Unless this changes, society cannot progress in a civilized way . This formed the crux of the play ‘ Beti Bachao ’ staged at Kalabharati, Visakhapatnam.
The play opens with dreamlike scene where a foetus tells her mother that when God has given her a choice to be born as any beautiful thing like pearl in oyster, a flower in garden etc, she chose the womb of her mother for nothing is greater in creation than the womb of a mother and pleads not to terminate her life even before birth.
With the poignant opening taking the viewers into its fold, the thick and emotive plot revolves around the family of Krishnamohan a retired man of modest means. He sees a daughter in his daughter in-law Sravani. Though a gentleman, he suggests she go for scanning and get it terminated in case of a girl child. When Sravani opposes it vehemently, he explains that his family can never again bear the brunt of a daughter becoming victim of domestic violence; he then goes on to narrate the tragic tale of his two daughters who met an untimely end. After a few dramatic twists and turns, Sravani intelligently unravels the mystery of their deaths and sees that justice is done. Disgusted over the appalling discrimination against women, she prepares to opt for abortion. But her father-in-law vetoes it asking her to be a proud mother of a daughter.
The curtain draws on the foetus in the womb turning in joy at the prospect of a lovely life with a loving mother. The taut narrative with its thrust on the importance of a girl child in the family gently yet firmly questions the duplicity in our family practices. Each scene was well framed to serve its point.
With good grasp of its emotive contours, the cast delivered a good performance. Jayalakshmi, Prasanthi, A Apparao, V Satyanarayana, D. Rama Satyanarayna and others did well. Relangi Mallik scripted it and R Udhayabhaskar directed it. Kalavani Ubhaya Godavarulu Rajahmundry staged it under aegis of Visakha Music and Dance Academy in its monthly schedule.
