Femella Foundation to stage a play to launch its new initiative against domestic violence

Femella Foundation, a student-run NGO based in Thiruvananthapuram, is set to launch its new initiative against domestic violence with a theatrical performance, Yagnaseni. The title, meaning born from sacrificial fire and referring to Draupadi in the Mahabharata, explores the theme of domestic violence, bringing together mythology and real-life incidents, say the organisers.

“The narrative begins with the disrobing of Draupadi in the Mahabharata, and looks at present-day Draupadis,” says Alu Krishna, one of the project heads and executive director of Femella Foundation. The play will be staged at Bharat Bhavan, Thycaud, in Thiruvananthapuram on January 19.

Founded two years ago, the organisation recently added fighting domestic violence to its core objectives, with a new project focusing on schools and colleges. “The collective has been working on this since last May and we didn’t want to launch it the usual way. Hence the play,” says Alu.

Last year, Femella’s joint director and one of the project heads, Amrita Leksmi R, came up with the idea to include domestic violence in the organisation’s objectives. She says, “What usually happens is when someone becomes a victim, an outrage follows, which eventually dies down. Society does not think about how to prevent it. Our aim is to stop this violence from being carried to the next generation. That is why we are launching it with sessions in schools and colleges.”

The foundation began as a social startup after Alu developed the concept at an Ideathon in Delhi during her class XII. It consists of eight core committee members, five subcommittee members and around 20 volunteers. Their work includes awareness sessions and digital campaigns.

Another initiative by Femella is Beyond the Blurb, with Alka Ajith and Amrita as lead coordinators. It is a reading community of over 150 members, with meet-ups organised every month, where literature enthusiasts can discuss different topics. “People from all walks of life join us. It is a peaceful and comfortable space for readers,” says Alka, who is also the convenor of Femella.

Alu says, “Apart from Beyond the Blurb and our project on domestic violence, we also hope to start a project on improving financial literacy among students before this year ends.”

Lack of funds to fulfil their plan is among the challenges faced the Foundation. Alka says, “It was difficult to find a stage to perform. We asked many schools and colleges. It is also a huge task to bring everyone together, with the participants spread across different colleges in the city.”

Amrita adds, “We faced a lot of rejections. Colleges denied us access because the NGO is run by students, claiming we don’t know how to deal with topics of such seriousness.”

Yagnaseni will staged at Bharat Bhavan, Thycaud, on January 19 at 8.30pm. Entry free