Vikalp : aware a child - save childhood

Abstract

The focal points of the project are street children, who are being exploited at different levels and under different circumstances. Keeping this in focus and going through the readings and research works done in this area, it was realized that there are many deep-rooted problems both at personal and social level which all together creates unfavorable conditions for children that spoil their childhood.

Lot of amendment has been made in constitution but the problem still persists and the percentage is increasing at a regular scale. To address the problem effectively it has to be analyzed in a right manner and direction with sincerely and collectively affords by NGO(S), area panchayats, district administration, state and central government. Among so many problems with which children are fighting for their survival “The Child Labour” (age group 7 to 14 years, who are engaged in hazardous and other gainful occupations which are injurious to their health anddevelopment) is one such problem that plays an important role in departing children from enjoying their childhood. It’s not just parents, teachers, factory owners and at large the society, who has to understand the hazardous effect of child labour, rather children themselves should be made aware of the importance of education in their life to solve the problem at grass root level.

To communicate this idea, I choose the medium of film, a film that has a social appeal to make, it interest children and have much-much effect on their soft, unspotted and plain mind. The dialogue, body language, gesture are powerful medium of communication and has a long lasting impact as well. To make the product more effective their should be some group activities in which the children are asked to talk about what they had seen in the film, doing such discussions they will think about the whole subject again and again and for this I had design a colouring book that will be given to the children after they had seen the film, in which the children had to colour the sketches as they had seen in the film. Each sketch is supported with a question which has to be answered as per the story. This will be group activity and a best medium to communicate and interact at different levels.

One such film is “Vikalp” that put forward the story of two boys from similar background. One of them, who is comparatively an intelligent boy got attracted towards easily available money, good food and end up joining work on a road side shop to fulfill his unwanted needs whereas the other, who is comparatively less intelligent listened to his teachers, parents voice and continue education, and at last turned out to be much happier in the latter course of life.

The story of the film is moving around the real-life situation of society thus screening two ways of dealing a situation. It poses question for the viewers (i.e. children, parents, teachers, shop owners and society in large) at different levels.