At a time when incidents of rape are being reported from various parts of the state,the Surat Drama Artists Association has come up with a play to wipe out fear,if any,from the minds of schoolgirls. The play,titled Pratighat,also encourages parents of rape victims to come forward and lodge complaint against the offenders. The group plans to hold the play in the streets and schools from Saturday onwards. The play has been written by Yamini Vyas and directed by Mukesh Desai. Narrating the story,Desai said: We enact a rape incident wherein the victims parents hide the incident. Later,the girl studies hard and becomes an IAS officer. She gets a posting in Surat city. At a press conference,she reveals that she was raped when she was a student,but never lost hope and vowed to become a police officer Pointing out that they aim to make people (especially girls) stronger,he added: In the play,we have also given a message to the government that strict punishment should be given to rapists,so that nobody dares to do such crimes in future. We want to create an environment in which girls feel safe to go out alone. Neeraj Patel,one of the performers,said,Nowadays,parents remain tense until their children return home safely. The freedom of girls should not be snatched away.
