Revival of Shafa Natya Manch on the Streets of Jama Masjid

The 7^th day of April, 2011 saw the revival of Shafa Natya Manch after eighteen long months. A small group of intrepid recovering addicts (still in treatment) from Shafa made it a point to orient the addicts of Jama Masjid on addiction. This was done through a Nukkad Natak (Street Play) in collaboration with Butterflies, an NGO working with the street children of Jama Masjid and was facilitated by Ms. Sangeeta and Ms. Hrishika, MSW, Dept. of Social Work, Delhi University.

Shafa reached the streets of Jama Masjid at 10:30 in the morning. The boys changed into white kurta’s, blue jeans and colored dupatta’s around their waist. The initial community mobilization was done through a song called aao sunaye Raju ki kahani, khatre main hai uski jawani (come let’s tell you Raju’s story, whose youth was endangered). Once people gathered the boys started with the Nukkad Natak called Raju ki kahani (Raju’s Story). Now the audience here was not an elite class, they were people from the streets, they were people who needed drugs to avoid hunger, they were mothers who would share a sniff with their daughters, they were daughter’s who would do anything to get a puff, they were kids who would prefer fluid to mother’s milk, and they were men who would protect and enable the community and aid them with the substance.

The whole scene was charged up. The sutradhar (narrator) had his Damroo (a small two headed pellet drum shaped like an hour glass) working perfectly and was looking into people’s eyes to ask them questions. Nasha (addiction) was laughing loudly and cunningly and was intonating his voice as well. Raju showed all his dark sides and greed for substance. Maa (mother) did a perfect role enabling Raju. The Thanedar (policeman) raised a question against our policing system. At every point during the play there were placards to aid the play. There were dhapli’s (tambourines), dhol’s (drums) and shoulder mike’s too. There were CRA’s (Child Rights Advocates) and local representatives who were controlling the crowd.

The best part was the interaction that was happening between the crowd and the Shafa representatives at the end of every play. Akhilesh Ji, while answering a question, also held a local cop (who was standing there) responsible for the situation of people there. The cop became defensive and moved away.


We did the street play at two other places – opposite Meena Bazaar and in the Park opposite Jama Masjid. People were drowned in substance as they stood there and watched the juggler’s game. To my astonishment not all the addicts there were from the streets, some of them were from good families and just due to there inability to leave  addiction were stranded off their homes.

This was not the very first time somebody has gone there to help, there were children who knew all about HIV/AIDS and Relapse and Recovery Homes and so on and so forth. The sad part was that there were people who really wanted help, but now did not have the appropriate support system. There were some touching moments when an addict came up to the mike and confessed that he wanted help with tears in his eyes.

This place, just between the Red Fort and Jama Masjid actually seemed to be a hub of drugs and drug abusers. For the first time during the day I wondered whether such places have been ignored by us for good. I wondered whether I would have gone to this place on my own to help somebody, if not with Shafa Natya Manch. I wondered, would I myself have ended up here during my addiction, if not helped by Shafa.

And that’s where I closed my eyes and thanked GOD to have given me a chance, a chance to rectify myself, a chance called Shafa!!

Stop carrying a tortoise for relapse prevention!

Saturday the 26^th of March 2011, was the second fortnightly Family Counseling and Meeting of the month. The topic of the day in continuation to the last family counseling and meeting was ‘relapse prevention - characteristics and factors’.

During the pre-counseling meeting, at Ranjan Ji’s seat, there was a frenzied discussion going on as to what the family’s role should be in relapse prevention. Shipra Ji and Sangeeta Ji were, as usual, thoroughly discussing as to what they were supposed to speak during the counseling. It was said that families always look for a specified set of roles to prevent their ward from relapsing. However, they need to understand that no such book has been written which can stop your loved one from a relapse. As Ranjan Ji said, ‘how many roles can I write down? I cannot stop Mrs. XYZ from bringing his son’s favorite tortoise to the meeting. Although, he has ruined his own life and never cared for his parents but all his parents can think of (even in a treatment center) is enabling him by bringing his favorite one to meet him’.

During the counseling that day, only the characteristics of a relapse could be discussed. It was told that just like treatment, relapse is a process as well. It never happens that a person gets up one fine morning and starts drinking. A relapse is always indicated by gradual changes in the behavior of the individual. A person starts getting irritated, gets up late in the morning, becomes irresponsible and so on and so forth. And, this is the very point where the family needs to come into action. This is where they need to start confronting their loved ones and holding them responsible. Families need to remember always, that it is the individual who is in the process of relapse and the only thing that can stop him is his immediate family with their adequate support system. The family’s role is the most vital during the initial relapse process.

I wasn’t able to make it on Saturday, but can very well comprehend the level of conference amongst the family members (thirty in number) and the councils of Shafa. Being a recovery addict myself, I am getting to know what all is needed to be in recovery and that why the families need to stop carrying the tortoise for relapse prevention.