Not Fictions but Short Stories
Short Story One
Third Eye Local Knowledge and Skill Activists Group
started its theatre program with the children the day
after the Tsunami disaster in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.
Seelamunai, the village where the group are involved in a
programme of Reformulation of Kooththu (traditional
theatre of the Thamils of Sri Lanka) as an organic form
of Community Theatre, was totally devastated.
Fortunately most human lives were saved, except a few.
The people who are the participants of the
reformulation program were refugees in Hindu College,
Batticaloa empty handed and in fear of further tidal waves.
From that moment Third Eye started to work with the
displaced people in the Hindu College, Batticaloa and
initiated children’'s programmes with youths of the Third
Eye who were also affected by Tsunami.
Third Eye was in a position to get the youths back to
normal and utilize their skills and experience to get
others especially the children back to normal.
Games and theatre games suitable for big groups and
appropriate to the camp environment are powerful
elements to allow the children to play and laugh.
If the children play and laugh, it brings
relaxation, satisfaction and hopefulness to the
family.
If this kind of atmosphere is strengthened, it
will lead to a happy and prosperous future for a
community.
This was the story of the first week. The whole week
Third Eye managed the Hindu College, Batticaloa refugee camp with the participation of the affected
people and with the support of Tamil Rehabilitation
Organization and the Local Government Official.
Then the affected people were divided and replaced into
different camps according to the divisions of local
government officials.
The Seelamunai community was divided into two
divisions and replaced in Mahajana College, Batticaloa
and in the Junior School, Batticaloa. Third Eye continued
its children'’s programmes in both camps and in a
position to spread its work with children in other
camps in Batticaloa.
Third Eye contacted Unicef for support with a vehicle for
the group of forty people to travel to different
places and play with children and make them to laugh,
the essence of hopefulness in communities. They
supported us with a vehicle and an allowance of two
hundred rupees including food and refreshments.
Third Eye worked in three major groups according to
the number of children in the camps from 9.00a.m. -
5.00 p.m.
Each major group consists of 10-12 affiliates
according to the requirements of the area in which they
covered. Each major group consists of four to five
units of affiliates numbered in twos and threes and
some times in fours according to the number of
children in the camps.
Every single unit with the same animators concentrates
on two camps, one in the morning and the other in the
evening for a week.
This was continued for three weeks and at the end of
January there was a change in the programme.
S.Jeyasankar
17.02.2005
*Please wait for Short Story Two
