Mallika Taneja Tackles Sexual Violence In Her Theatrical Protest 'Thoda Dhyan Se'

“ Whenever I go out of the house, my father always tells me - Bye beta! Have fun! Be careful.”

There has been a sudden resurgence of  political and protest theatre in India over the past few year. A lot of these performances are done by female theatre personalities, catalyzed by growing sexual violence against women. There is prevailing discontent in society and a sense that the sources of information available to the masses often fail to grapple with existing realities.

Theatre artist Mallika Taneja takes an active stance of protest in her 10 minute satirical sketch ‘Thoda Dhyan Se/Be Careful.’ In her performance, she satirizes the advice given to women on how to ‘avoid’ the wandering male gaze and ‘prevent rape’ and sexual violence by adjusting the way they dress. Taneja’s sketch is reactionary to the Shakti Mills gangrape case of a photojournalist, in 2013, and was developed two years ago, at the Tadpole Repertory, in New Delhi.

We reached out to Mallika Taneja to understand how she developed her piece; how she gained the courage to stand in front of an audience in her lingerie and to get her opinion on society today, the media and how much clothing really is enough? A question she throws at the audience by the end of her performance.

“There was an article I had read about how everyone is so interested in what the woman was wearing, who she was with, why she was there... but no one seemed to ask the same questions of the men who raped her. Who were they? Why were they there? What were THEY wearing? The piece has evolved since then and all performances, discussions, feedbacks and opportunities have contributed to its evolution,” Taneja explains.

Born to parents active in theatre, Taneja studied English Literature at Kirori Mal College, Delhi University, where she says she learnt her greatest lessons in life and theatre.

The reason for the increase in incidents of sexual violence and eve-teasing, as stated by a certain legislator in our country, is the western influence of wearing short dresses and skirts by women. Which, according to them, titillates young men forcing them to act out. Aptly put by Youngistan, the belief then is that it’s girls who tease men by wearing skimpy dresses who, in turn, tease them; it’s the girls fault. Various comments like these have been made with reactionary pieces in the arts, such as ‘The Walk’ by Maya Krishna Rao, following the Nirbhaya rape case. “It moves you and leaves you thinking for days on end,” says Taneja, about Maya Krishna Rao’s piece. Tanejas performance is nothing less than thought provoking and a deep critical analysis of the Indian mindset.

 ‘Thoda Dhyan Se/Be Careful’ starts with Taneja standing on stage in lingerie, surrounded by various articles of clothing. Starting her monologue she dresses herself, layer upon layer, getting ready to go out. Tongue-in-cheek, she talks about the need, being a girl, to cover up her body, as she piles on more clothes. Standing in lingerie, silently on a stage can’t be easy. When she was invited to the Zurich Theatre Spektakel earlier in August, she went from being in lingerie to being nude.
“I had an opportunity to try things that I wouldn’t even imagine doing in India. What does it mean to stand in front of a white audience in underwear? Very little. Whereas in India, it does push the audience into dealing with this person in front of you with very little on, in the West, it has no such effect. But I had also started finding it difficult to make sense of the beginning of the piece as it was...not just for the audience abroad but also for India. It made sense to get rid of the underwear... to begin with absolutely no codes on the body.”

Indian society loves to criticize anyone who doesn’t follow the prescribed cultural conduct and norms, especially women. Taneja dressing herself in a public arena, sounds like an open invitation for unending backlash and that’s exactly where we began our off-the-cuff Q & A.
HG: Have you faced any such harsh reactions and criticism for this piece?
MT: “Yes I have. Some newspapers in Jaipur called me ‘ashleel’ after the performance at the Jaipur Theatre Festival, in December last year. But honestly, these are stray incidents. Largely, the reactions I have gotten till now has been overwhelmingly positive, the discussions after performances have been vibrant, and I have been invited to many places to perform. I think these are the true markers of what people think about the piece. This is when I was still in my underwear. It’s tougher and more complicated to find performances now... but the response remains similar.”

HG: In the last few years, do you think anything has really changed in the manner with which rape and sexual abuse cases are being dealt with, and spoken about in the county?

MT: “Dealt with... I don’t know. The problem runs deep. Violence against women, in thought and in action, cannot be erased with such ease... it requires continuous intervention and education. But something has changed for sure. Many people have spoken up, the feminist debate has picked up and moved forward. Everyday there is something about women that we read or watch... this was not the case before. People do care a little bit more... a lot more actually. Women want their freedom.”

In her opinion, everything begins with education; people need to be educated and sensitized to handle rape cases and survivors of sexual attacks in a proper and respectful manner; members of the media, the government and police officials alike.

“I wonder if mainstream media deals with anything at all in the right way today. Even though there are some reporters who are fearless with their opinion and words and deal with issues that keeps the dignity of the the survivor intact, the bulk of reporting seems to be running after ratings. I think they need to stop shouting at us and each other, and start talking, start listening. Maybe then some fruitful conversations would emerge,” she elaborates.

HG: Women, on several occasions, have been told how to dress and behave in order to ‘protect’ themselves. If you could say something or give one piece of advice to women of the country, what would that be?
MT: “Well, according to Smriti Irani this is just not true! Haven’t you heard?  I don’t think I can give advice... I can tell you what I try to do. No matter who tells you how to be or how it is, don’t blindly believe them. Question at every step and form your own opinion and encourage your kids to do the same. No matter who it is - your teachers, parents, the government, their truth is not yours. Form your own and learn to coexist. This is far easier said than done. But we can all try.”
HG: And how about to the men?
MT: “I’d say the same! And also, just remember that men and women are equal. Okay?”
Practitioners of political and protest theatre attempt to subvert the catharsis experienced by their audience. Certain emotions needs to be left unresolved, they need to be left unsettled in order to force social and political action in the the real world.
“In my opinion, catharsis alone has no place in the world of the arts anymore. If the arts become a vehicle for only catharsis, it will fail its function. Although it could be a starting point for some work, it must move on from that - it must change its audience. It must make an audience think. It must transform minds. For both who create it and those who watch it. This is the role that I think the arts play in society. The change that follows is inevitable,” says Taneja.
In India, a woman’s action and behaviour is dictated by society, whether we like it or not. Don’t go out at night, don’t drink or smoke, don’t have male friends, don’t go out at night and drink or smoke with male friends you’re not supposed to have, and of course, dress modestly. The rules for women seem simple, but their existence, in the first place, is not. You deviate from the rules and you face the consequences, even if the consequence is a violent attack. At a time when women are still being blamed for the actions of men, it’s women like Mallika Taneja who are using their position and role as artists to push forward and enact changes in a patriarchal and rigid society.