June 27: Ujaan Ghosh added just the right spunk to the character of Mambi the Monkey in the latest production of Choopkatha. Four years ago, when he joined Dolly Basu's theatre troupe, he was a shy boy who kept to himself.

The Class IV student of Apeejay School Salt Lake is among the 20-odd children with special needs who have found a new life after joining the group.

"I want to be a turtle next. I always become a monkey," Ujaan said before prancing off. Mother Madhumita thinks it's theatre that makes the boy, who was diagnosed with moderate autism at the age of three, happy. "He has started socialising and expressing himself better since he started attending the sessions," she said.

Year-long workshops and rehearsals culminated in the first show comprising four short plays at the Academy of Fine Arts last Saturday.

"Every kid has a story here. Some may be suffering from physical disabilities, others from intellectual disabilities and a few more are scarred from experiences at home or in school," said Basu, the founder of Choopkatha.

"Many of them would not even sit still, leave alone mouth dialogues when they first came on board. Today they know how to hold their own before an audience. Theatre has proved to be a therapy both for them as well as their parents who are often in depression themselves," she said.

Sustained counselling, role play and voice modulation helped the children come out of their shells. Basu made it a point to involve the parents in the entire process. "This way they can form their own support groups," she said. A few have gone on to find their voice in society after several years in Choopkatha.

When Metro reached Basu's Salt Lake home to catch the final rehearsal, the 40-odd young actors seemed to be on a merry picnic. There were no signs of stage fear, nobody fumbled or needed prompting. The kids chattered happily during the breaks while their parents exchanged last-minute notes on costumes.

"I never feel nervous on stage," said Budhadipto Dutta Gupta, 22, who lent his voice from the sidelines. A former student of the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy would hardly interact with others when he first joined the theatre group eight years ago. On the day of the show, he was busy helping out his "juniors".

The long hours of practice showed on stage. Every actor executed his/her role with such energy that the audience was left charmed.

The first play of the evening - Mambi the Monkey - mostly featured pre- teens who portrayed various characters from the animal world. It was a play on friendship and helping one another.

The second play focussed on the evolution of transport. Chaitali Gami, mother of Sreya, who was part of this play, was happy and proud.

"Theatre has given my daughter a new interest in life. She looks forward to the rehearsals and workshops. She has friends there. She won't miss even a single day," said Chaitali Gami about her 20-year-old daughter who suffers from intellectual disability.

The third play was an interesting interaction between an actor and director, while the fourth told the story of empowerment through the journey of a princess.

Basu's dream: "I seek to empower all my kids."