A series of street plays aim to raise awareness about human-animal conflict in Mumbai

Children of Palaspada with their upcycled planters created as part of the ongoing project to uplift and educate the hamlet

Leave trash lying around your house, and you'll soon have your friendly neighbour knocking at your door for an unfriendly chat. Nothing the average Mumbaikar can't handle - unless your neighbours are prowling leopards and notorious monkeys. In Palaspada, one of the hamlets in the forested edge of Mulund West, environmentalists predict a rise in human-leopard encounters in the near future, driven by waste mismanagement. A series of street plays by iNaturewatch Foundation aims to nip the problem in the bud.

Children of Palaspada take a walk through the forest

"When you leave trash out in the wild, it lures in stray dogs and wild pigs who feed on it. Leopards can smell the presence of these smaller animals and it's their cue to head into the settlements," explains environmentalist Dr V Shubhalaxmi, who has been working with the multicultural population in the area for the past year. The Katkari tribe, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) as declared by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, forms a large part of the population, followed by scattered Muslim communities. "Literacy remains a pitfall here. A street play, hence, proved to be the ideal medium," Shubhalaxmi explains.

While the environmentalist is a familiar face for residents, thanks to her regular workshops and forest walks in the area, Dadar-based director Pritesh Manjalkar is making his first foray into the wild this weekend. Manjalkar and his troupe of seven professional street play actors, who have previously staged plays for causes like HIV awareness, domestic violence and workplace discrimination, will slip into leopard suits and tribal attire to stage the 15-minute-long play. "Merely staging the play isn't enough. We will engage the residents in a Q&A session after the play to ensure we're leaving a lasting impact," he explains.

The Dadar-based street play troupe rehearses a scene

What could have taken these efforts so long to reach the eastern suburbs, especially when the western edge of the forest in Borivli and Goregaon are constantly buzzing with programmes, we ask the environmentalist. "In the 2000s, Aarey and Borivli East saw a spike in leopard encounters, ushering in efforts to educate the locals, and plug the gaps. Today, conflicts in the area are rare. However, the area east of the Tulsi and Vihar lakes has never been in focus until now. With increasing trash mismanagement, history is bound to repeat itself. We must make sure the locals are not left to fend for themselves," Shubhalaxmi shares.

The environmentalist sees an optimistic future, though. It's the children, she says, who will lead the way. "Areas near natural resources are often geographically contested. The diverse mix of residents in Palaspada have their own internal unwritten prejudices. The children, however, show the willingness to break these shackles and focus on more pressing issues," the duo reveals, adding that the ongoing efforts have already brought a sliver of hope in the hamlet.

Pritesh Manjalkar and Dr V Shubhalaxmi

Following the performance this weekend, the group plans to stage the play in three more padas in the region. "With the help of the Maharashtra Forest Department, we hope to take the show to the western borders of the forest in the near future," Shubhalaxmi reveals. For now, the troupe is tuning its dafs (handheld drums) that will awaken Palaspada this Sunday to the live performance, and hopefully a brighter, safer future.

ON November 17; 5 pm
AT Palaspada, near Khindipada Water Supply Pumping Station, Mulund West.
LOG ON TO @ inaturewatch on Instagram

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