THE rights described in the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights include the right to life, liberty, and security of persons: to freedom of conscience, religion, opinion, expression, association, and assembly: a secure society and an adequate standard of living; to education; and to rest and leisure.

These are Just some of the primary rights described in the Declaration of Human Rights but unfortunately how many of us are blessed to be in the fort ground of absolute observance of human rights? The question how painful it may be must again and again be asked, until human rights to the whole of humanity is ensured.

The view undeniably has a utopian aura; still little steps will take us to the hig^jvays of success. Yesterday-10 of December was the World Human Rights Day. To commemorate the day. Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) organized a daylong theatre festival on December 8; two days earlier which was a part Of their Human Rights Day celebration programme.

Barrister Amirul Islam. President of Ain O Salish Kendra, inaugurated the festival. The guests present on the occasion were. Justice K_M. Sobhan. Professor Mojaffar Hosen. Dr. Syed Jamil Ahmed. Asadujjaman Nur. Pljush Bandhapadhaya, Afroja Banu. Sabina Bari Lucky. Shahidul Islam Sacchu. and the executive director of ASK. Barrister Salma Sobhan.

The theatre festival featured almost 20 union level theatre teams from 4 districts Kustia. Netrokona. Sherpur and Jhi-naidaha. The most fascinating factor about this festival was that the performers came from different strands of life; they were not trained or professionals. These theatre artists like to call them human rights activists rather than theatre activists. They have a definite goal to niakn.ihe marginalized , people aware of their rights. They are working to achieve that goal through their relentless work that has been going on for almost a year and they plan to go on with their mission until their goal is achieved.

Tlie issues that were raised were. Rape. Illegal Salish, Police Brutality, Hilla. Dowry. Polygamy. Violence against women and children. Child marriage. Oral divorce. Fatwa and many more.

Kushurn tells the story of her life to her grand daughter. HOw as a daughter she was not al-

lowed to study or to play- Her father never gave her a fare ground to grow up In a sound environment. She was married off and remained without an identity in her husband's house. When her son grew up. she was bounded to him. The son took all her properties and did not take care of her. So as a daughter, as a wife, as a mother she led her life without having an entity of her own. She led a life, which was set for her by others. The last comment of Kushum leaves us wondering about the real status of a women in our society as she says. “I have been a daughter, a wife, a mother but when will I become a human being". The play was performed by Kailatl Union Level Theatre of Netrokona district.

Kustia's Jagati theatre put forward a story of Bina. Bina a rape victim reveals the plight of her life. How she is banished from the society by an illegal Salish.as she had been raped. The men who raped her go unpunished. The woman who has already been violated is violated again and again by the society and the so-called social fathers. perhaps not physically but mentally and spiritually she is left destroyed. The daylong festival thus unfolded such issues that needs a lot of contemplation and demands a solution. The support- and the cheers in the audience showed the impact created on the general public

Since 1996. the 'Gender and Social Justice Programme' of ASK has been working to create an awareness among the prominent and influential people like the local Chairman, teachers, kazis. salish members. and other local leaders and senior members of locality. In organizing these sessions ASK activists have realized that it is not enough to raise awareness only among the local leaders rather ft is necessary to spread the message among the general people to ensure the rule of law and human rights in the society.

Popular theatre is a very attractive and effective medium for organizing people from every sector of the society. The popular Theatre for Human Rights Unit is thus working to reach out to the mass people of the country,

The main objectives of Popular Theatre Unit (PYU) is to organize a theatre team consisting of local youths, students, artists, and other interested people from all classes of society. to raise mass legal and human rights awareness in the local level, through theatre, to as-

sist the team members, to continually develop themselves as local human rights activists and to increase the participants of women in the social and cultural activities.

Union Level Theatre Unit, supported by Ain O Salish Kendra, is working with a definite cause and programme; they help to form Union Level Theatre. Teams (ULTT) through organizing different training sessions. They train ULTT members on methods on locating local problems, analyzing them and create plays accordingly, they perform issue based the-

atre. ULLT members monitor the legal and human rights situation and their violations in their localities, play an effective role In preventing illegal salish. to take part in local salish and so on.

The festival also featured a colourful rally, a theatrical presentation by the working children and Baul Gaan.

Human Rights is a vast issue and the vision to ensure human rights for everyone may become a stretched out idea but still no harm in dreaming and this dream will guide us to work to make the dream a reality.