NLU Odisha - Legal Awareness Street Theatre Competition

National Law University Odisha is a premier educational institution located in Cuttack, Odisha. The University has endeavoured to bring about a positive social impact on the society. In furtherance of the same, it has established numerous Research Centres, established a Community College, ‘Barefoot’ and has undertaken a myriad of other activities.

Atmabodh, an all India not for profit organization from Delhi which is focussing on capacity development and sensitization of young lawyers and students in India to secure better access to justice at large.

Adyopant Legal is a value driven law firm based in New Delhi with presence in Patna, Ranchi and Mumbai. It is specialised in legal services with a strong litigation team involved in various special initiatives on legal awareness for the general public, practice-oriented training for law students and continuous professional development for lawyers.

To bring about legal consciousness in the society and to educate and empower individuals with respect to issues pertaining to law, Amabodh and Adyopant Legal, in collaboration with National Law University Odisha, are organizing an inter law college legal awareness street play competition. This competition seeks to sensitize the society as well as the students about persisting and pressing legal issues of the community around them. The state level competition shall be conducted in Cuttack and shall see the participation from almost all colleges and varsities across Odisha, which are dedicated towards legal education and promotion of legal awareness.

Since time immemorial, drama has been used as a powerful medium to present creative imitations of the society and human conditions. It is considered as one of the most effective modes of communicating ideas and beliefs. Over the ages, street plays have evolved to accommodate the various facets of effective communication and have now become an effective medium of communication of social issues and help drive home the message well. They provide a forum for interaction and communication and their inclusive settings draws members of community regardless of age, cultural backgrounds and social barriers.

The primary function of such a medium of communication is to provide information to the masses. Such forms of communication have thrived in the State since historical periods owing to its rich cultural heritage. Folk dramas, which consist of different types of plays and theatrical performances, are put up for the local audience and enjoy immense popularity. The relevance of drama as a form of communication was brought to the fore in Odisha when it was utilized during the Kargil war to instil patriotism in people residing in rural areas.

Odisha, as a State, sees its own share of legal issues. More often than not, these issues are left unspoken about and unaddressed, and the populace is left o grapple with its own problems with no one to aid them. The street play competition aspires to highlight some such problems faced by the community at large. The competition shall bring together law students from different parts of Odisha who shall showcase their awareness and understanding of such issue alongside their acting prowess. The themes of the plays presented before the audience shall underscore contemporary and relevant legal issues. Addressing legal issues of such nature is of utmost importance and the street play competition aims at bringing them to light by generating consciousness and attempting to eradicate them.

For Registration Details:

To register, please log on to the website.

Provide the required details for the preliminary rounds.

The last date to register online: 25 January 2016

Key Contact Persons:

1. Janak Nandini Singh (Atmabodh)- janak.atmabodh@gmail.com
2. Anjali Sharma (Adyopant lagal)- anjali@adyopantlegal.com
3. Himabindu M. (NLUO) - himabindu@nluo.ac.in
4. Manisha Mishra (NLUO) - manisha.mishra@nluo.ac.in

Date of Events:

• 25 January 2016- Closure of Registration
• 30 January 2016- Places of performance firmed up
• 15 February 2016- Script submission (prelims)
• 23 February 2016- Preliminary Round
• 24 February 2016- Declaration of preliminary round result
• 26 February 2016- Submit script for final round
• 27 February 2016- Theatre workshop

28 February 2016- Final Performance