National

Effective way to create legal awareness

Conveying the message: A street play underway at Berhampur railway station organised by Ganjam District Legal Services Authority to spread legal literacy among people.

BERHAMPUR: A street-play to create legal awareness among the poor – Aaina Seva O Aaina Sakhyarata – was staged near the Berhampur railway station on Tuesday. The Ganjam District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) organised the event with the help of ‘Lipica’, an NGO.

District judge of Ganjam and Gajapati Satrughna Pujari and special vigilance judge Susant Kumar Patnaik were also present. The aim was to make people aware that legal aid was easily available for the poor. The themes enacted in the street-play also said that legal awareness would also end exploitation of the poor.

While Ranjita Dash directed the street play, the script was drafted by the coordination committee of Lipica and the District Legal Services Authority.

It dealt with two major problems of the poor – dowry and exploitation at the hands of private money-lenders.

One play sent out the message that a person could be punished by law if he or she resorted to the inhuman act of torturing for more dowry.

It also tells that women are entitled to get free legal aid to fight against dowry torture.

The other story described how gullible rural mass lose their land to money-lenders.

The play depicted the tactics money-lenders employ to grab property. The play advised the poor to approach the District Legal Services Authority to get free legal help in such circumstances. Apart from street plays, the organisation would also use folk art forms like ‘Daskathia’ in future to bring about legal awareness among the public in Ganjam district.

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