Jamshedpur: In the remote tribal villages of Noamundi in West Singhbhum, a group of young volunteers is using street theatre to challenge child marriage, alcoholism and other social problems.Leading the initiative is 25-year-old Premnath Sulanki of Multa village, who believes theatre can take important messages directly to people and spark conversations within the community.“Education is the key to success, irrespective of gender. Dogmatic beliefs and harmful social practices are detrimental to society,” Sulanki said.His organisation, Sankalp Yuva Samiti, has around 15 volunteers and works mainly in villages of Noamundi block along the Jharkhand-Odisha border. So far, the group has conducted street plays, awareness drives and community meetings in 18 villages, focusing on school enrolment, cleanliness, child marriage and alcoholism.The group also encourages school-going children to explore art and literature, including fine arts. Sulanki said this was important for preserving the history, music and cultural traditions of tribal communities.“We want youths from Gen Z, Gen Alpha and Gen Beta to take an interest in literary activities alongside formal education so that the incredible history and rich music and culture of our tribal communities can be preserved and passed on to future generations,” he said.According to Sulanki, the group intervenes in two to four child marriage cases every year. Both boys and girls below the legal marriageable age have been involved in such cases, particularly in remote villages.He recalled the case of Krishna Barjot from Meral Gada village, who approached the organisation after learning about a proposed marriage. Since the girl was a minor, the volunteers counselled the family and persuaded them to postpone the wedding, allowing her to continue her education.Sulanki said resistance from families had gradually reduced as awareness grew, though alcoholism and smoking among adolescents remained a major concern.His commitment to the cause began in 2016, when he worked as a peer educator with Tata Steel Foundation’s Rishta Project. The experience, he said, inspired him to use street theatre as a tool for social change.
