home

Archive for September, 2005

Fundraising Drive!

Sunday, September 25th, 2005

Thank you everyone for your generous support! We were able to successfully meet our goal of $15,000, which covered our production costs in India.

We will now need to raise money for post-production costs, which are considerably greater than those for production. We will seek external sources of funding, but your continued donations will help cover the cost of producing the promo package which we will need provide potential backers.

You can make tax-deductible donations online ($20 min.):


Donate Now via Justgive.org

And please join our mailing list to receive the latest updates about the film.

Read on to learn about other ways to donate (PayPal and check):
(more…)

Dakxin’s Arrest

Sunday, September 25th, 2005

P1000637.JPG On May 11th, 2003 Dakxin Bajrange was arrested for allegedly assaulting Prahlad Chhara. The real reason? Performing plays critical of the police.
(more…)

Chharanagar

Sunday, September 25th, 2005

P1000654.JPGIn 1952, five years after independence, the Criminal Tribes Act of 1911 was finally repealed. Released from the forced labor camp which had been their prison for the past forty years, the Chhara were resettled on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, in Chharanagar. Roughly three square miles, with a population of over twenty thousand, Chharanagar is primarily known for its home brewed liquor - illegal in the dry state of Gujarat.
(more…)

The Budhan Theatre

Sunday, September 25th, 2005

P1000466.JPGBudhan Theatre was founded on 31st August 1998 in commemoration of the day when India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, lifted the stigma of criminality from the settled tribes in 1952. A population of some 60 million of these “denotified tribes” can be found throughout India today. Since 1998, Budhan Theatre has performed street plays to raise awareness about the condition of such tribes. Their goal is to demonstrate that Chharas are not “born criminals,” they are humans with real emotions, capacities, and aspirations. Each of their productions has dramatized the events surrounding custodial deaths, abductions, beatings and torture of such tribes throughout the country. At present Budhan Theatre is reaching out to other similarly stigmatized communities and including their stories in its repertoire.
(more…)


Watch our 15min short:

Acting Like a Thief


Acting Like a Thief


Join our mailing list:
Email
Once nomads, the Chhara now live in an urban ghetto on the edge of a large industrial city in western India. The British labeled them a "criminal tribe" and today they are still guilty until proven innocent. Nobody will hire them. To survive, some sell illegal liquor while others engage in petty thievery. But now a group of young people are using theater to fight back against a century of prejudice and oppression.

Help us tell their story.

Donate Now via Justgive.org
($20 min.)