Can Puppet Shows and Street Theatre Save Endangered Vultures in India? | Chennai News
It was during his birdwatching days that S Bharathidasan first came to know about the endangered status of vultures in the country, and the threats they faced. But the turning point was in 2010 when the birdwatcher was invited for a vulture survey by Kerala-based Malabar Naturalist Society. Bharathidasan decided to take up the cause of vultures as his life mission, and there was no looking back. While he approached various stakeholders — pastoralists, veterinary doctors, livestock inspectors and pharmacists — he devised different methods for each. And he decided to take an unconventional route to spread awareness among the public – theatre. For the past 13 years, Bharathidasan has been conducting street theatre and puppet shows, solely on vulture conservation, as part of his organisation – Arulagam – named after a nature conservationist named Arul who died in 2005. “The Kerala-Tamil Nadu-Karnataka trijunction is where vultures can still be found,” says Bharathidasan. They select 20 vulture hotspot villages at a time and perform for 20 minutes each, while team members distribute pamphlets to those watching and in nearby shops and tea stalls. The themes range from snippets from the epics to Sindbad, customised to include vultures, where the birds help the sailor find precious stones. In another story, Jadayu, a vulture, protects Seetha from Ravana who is trying to kidnap her. They also connect day-to-day issues or a special day like Women’s Day or Independence Day with vultures and present street theatre. Bharathidasan apprises the team on the reasons for decline in the numbers of vultures and together they form the concepts. “Vultures are vital for our ecosystem and yet ignored unlike more charismatic species. The misuse of non-serial anti-inflammatory drugs leads to poisoning of carcasses, the primary food of vultures. Unavailability of food source and food shortage is a reason they’re endangered. We highlight this in the performances.” Arulagam has 40 members, most of whom are volunteers with full-time jobs. However, there is an exclusive team as well, dedicated to vulture conservation. The group recently performed at the Wayanad Bird Festival and will be performing in Erode on Jan 4.
