Seven Steps around the Fire
Seven Steps around the Fire
SETU virtually stages a murder mystery for IAGB Cares Relief Fund: $6500 raised
–Yogita Miharia
SETU and IAGB, with many common and complimentary missions, joined hands to bring an Indian-origin play in English through virtual presentations on September 19 and 20. About 500 people from around the world watched the production live from their living rooms.
In these tough times, in order to serve the underprivileged and to bring entertainment to the community, IAGB in collaboration with SETU, brought a thought provoking and intense play, a murder mystery, to all theater lovers as they raised funds for food pantries and shelters. We are thrilled to report that IAGB raised $6500 from this joint effort.
SETU’s production of “Seven Steps around the Fire” by the renowned playwright Mahesh Dattani was staged live but in a virtual environment that the audience could enjoy from the comfort of their homes. Seven Steps around the Fire is a timely play in that the fight for transgender right in America continues to play out and, while the “hijras” have made some progress regarding their own rights in India, significant barriers remain. In both countries, ongoing discrimination persists despite these legislative edicts.
SETU’s mission is to build bridges, connect cultures and bring social messages to the audience, while IAGB’s mission is to serve the community. These 2 organizations came together to make an even bigger impact. We are very grateful to our Platinum Sponsors – Anil and Shweta Agarwal, Rohit Chandra and all our donors, for supporting the arts and making a social impact at the same time.
Our heartfelt thanks to the cast and crew of this production:
Anil Matta, Anu Sharma, Ashok Shetty, Bhavesh Sharma, Chadra Saujanya, Chandrala Malkood, Dipali Trivedi, Ganesh Davuluri, Janique Choux Das, Jayanti Bandyopadhyay, Kedar Chaudhary, Ketan Dave, Krishan Aneja, Mahesh Palriwala, Nagendra Rao, Nikhil Bhatia, Nirmal Kumar, Noorain Buxamusa, Pradeep Jayachandran, Ravi Nimmagadda, Sanjay Gowda, Sanjay Kudrimoti, Sridhar Pola, Srihas Sampath, Subrata Das, Sugandha Gopal, Sumalita Bhuyan, Sundar Sivaraman, Tanni Chaudhuri, Vaishali Gade, Yogita Miharia.
To understand and learn more about the hijra community, read these very insightful articles written by SETU’s members. They both have worked with the transgender community in their own capacities:
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“Understanding the social context of Hijras in India: A short synopsis”, by Tanni Chaudhuri, Associate professor of sociology and graduate director, Rhode Island College
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“Hijras in India and the transgender community in the U.S.”, by Rohit Chandra, a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School