These street plays aim to raise awareness about human-animal conflict in Mumbai

Leave trash lying around your house and yoursquoll soon have your friendly neighbour knocking at your door for an unfriendly chat Nothing the average Mumbaikar canrsquot handle mdash unless your neighbours are prowling leopards and notorious monkeys In Palaspada one of the hamlets in the forested edge of Mulund West environmentalists predict a rise in humanleopard encounters in the near future driven by waste mismanagement A series of street plays by iNaturewatch Foundation aims to nip the problem in the budChildren of Palaspada take a walk through the forestldquoWhen you leave trash out in the wild it lures in stray dogs and wild pigs who feed on it Leopards can smell the presence of these smaller animals and itrsquos their cue to head into the settlementsrdquo explains environmentalist Dr V Shubhalaxmi who has been working with the multicultural population in the area for the past year The Katkari tribe a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group PVTG as declared by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs forms a large part of the population followed by scattered Muslim communities ldquoLiteracy remains a pitfall here A street play hence proved to be the ideal mediumrdquo Shubhalaxmi explains While the environmentalist is a familiar face for residents thanks to her regular workshops and forest walks in the area Dadarbased director Pritesh Manjalkar is making his first foray into the wild this weekend Manjalkar and his troupe of seven professional street play actors who have previously staged plays for causes like HIV awareness domestic violence and workplace discrimination will slip into leopard suits and tribal attire to stage the 15minutelong play ldquoMerely staging the play isnrsquot enough We will engage the residents in a QampA session after the play to ensure wersquore leaving a lasting impactrdquo he explainsThe Dadarbased street play troupe rehearses a sceneWhat could have taken these efforts so long to reach the eastern suburbs especially when the western edge of the forest in Borivli and Goregaon are constantly buzzing with programmes we ask the environmentalist ldquoIn the 2000s Aarey and Borivli East saw a spike in leopard encounters ushering in efforts to educate the locals and plug the gaps Today conflicts in the area are rare However the area east of the Tulsi and Vihar lakes has never been in focus until now With increasing trash mismanagement history is bound to repeat itself We must make sure the locals are not left to fend for themselvesrdquo Shubhalaxmi sharesThe environmentalist sees an optimistic future though Itrsquos the children she says who will lead the way ldquoAreas near natural resources are often geographically contested The diverse mix of residents in Palaspada have their own internal unwritten prejudices The children however show the willingness to break these shackles and focus on more pressing issuesrdquo the duo reveals adding that the ongoing efforts have already brought a sliver of hope in the hamletPritesh Manjalkar and Dr V ShubhalaxmiFollowing the performance this weekend the group plans to stage the play in three more padas in the region ldquoWith the help of the Maharashtra Forest Department we hope to take the show to the western borders of the forest in the near futurerdquo Shubhalaxmi reveals For now the troupe is tuning its dafs handheld drums that will awaken Palaspada this Sunday to the live performance and hopefully a brighter safer future ON November 17 5 pmAT Palaspada near Khindipada Water Supply Pumping Station Mulund West LOG ON TO inaturewatch on InstagramAlso ReadWorld Wildlife Day 2023 Hidden adventures of wildlife rescuers