Street Play on Shahtoosh to build awareness among Traders

22 February 2005 , Chandigarh : A street play in Punjabi was performed at the Sector 17 market in Chandigarh to highlight the illegal status of shahtoosh to prospective buyers and traders. The seriousness of the shahtoosh campaign in Punjab hit home when CBI sleuths raided an up-market showroom in the same market a day earlier and recovered 10 shahtoosh shawls.

Crowds gather to watch the performance at plaza complex, Chandigarh

Following the seizures on Sunday afternoon the street play “Bol Jamoore” was performed by artistes from the Chandigarh School of Drama on the theme “Say No to Shahtoosh”. The street play was scripted by Mahindra Doggra, who gave up a cushy job to join hands with environmental activists and campaign for wildlife conservation.

The satire on the tale of the Tibetan antelope, which are being killed for their under fleece to cater to the demand of shahtoosh by the wealthy was performed brilliantly. The satire also highlighted environmental concerns and their relative importance to wildlife species.

More than three hundred people gathered at the Sector 17 market to watch the lively performance at the corner of the Plaza Complex in the busy Chandigarh market. The President of the Chandigarh School of Drama, Mr. Gursharan Singh was also present at the performance.

Shahtoosh shawls are made from the wool of the Tibetan antelope, an endangered species accorded the highest protection in the country by the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Despite an international ban on shahtoosh trade, some illegal trade still goes on.

WTI and its partner in India , the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) have been running a campaign against Shahtoosh that is aimed at working to root out the illegal trade which is now more rampant in some of the northern states in India .

Streetplay under progress

“We have adapted the play in Punjabi to cater to the audiences in Punjab ,” says Brigadier Charanjeet Singh, WTI’s campaigns consultant in Punjab . “The play will be taken to Ludhiana , Jalandhar and Amritsar and performed specially in shawl markets and dealer areas to highlight the illegal status of trading in shahtoosh and the implications,” added Brig. Singh.

While the campaign on awareness carries on, enforcement agencies wield the stick with seizures and arrests. The double-pronged strategy will hopefully help change attitudes and perceptions of people towards owning shahtoosh.