HOPES Manipal: Unite to End Tuberculosis - A Street Play

The HOPES team poses for a photograph at the end of their play

Waking up late, lazily devouring a good book, and catching up on the months movies; all things you’d do on an average Sunday morning. Well, unless you have some awareness to spread! Health Organization for Public Education by Students better known as H.O.P.E.S,Manipal similarly could not rest as it had better plans for this Sunday.

H.O.P.E.S is a voluntary student organization conceived by a few final year students of Kasturba Medical College, Manipal when they realized the astounding lack of awareness among the public about common health issues. Whether it be good hygiene practices in the pediatric age group or diabetes awareness among the geriatric population H.O.P.E.S’ projects cater to all.

Twenty-one H.O.P.E.S members and two postgraduates from the Department Of Community Medicine, KMC Manipal set out on the sultry Sunday morning of 17^th April 2016, with the humble goal of enlightening the migrant population of Chithpadi about the dreaded and notoriously dangerous disease of Tuberculosis.

In honor of World Tuberculosis day, the members of H.O.P.E.S put up an informative and yet entertaining street play about uniting to end the morbidity and ever rising death poll of Tuberculosis. The play covered the common symptoms to watch out for,the mode of spread, the DOTS Treatment regimen, and the steps to be taken to prevent Tuberculosis.

The Members masterfully enacted the symptoms of a chronic cough (more than 3 weeks) with blood tinged sputum, evening rise of temperature and significant weight loss.

The DOTS Treatment is described, as the crowd watches enraptured Picture Courtesy: Siddarth Pratapneni

Crowd watching street play — Picture Courtesy:Siddarth Pratapneni

The street play being re-performed in the Cricket ground Picture Courtesy: Siddarth Pratapneni

They screamed themselves hoarse in an effort to be heard above the noise at the fish market, all while conversing in near perfect Kannada, which was an ordeal in itself. The play was then re-performed in a nearby open ground,after waiting for the end of a local cricket match.

Their performance was commendable and was well appreciated by the spectators. After the performance, a Q and A session took place to clear the doubts of the locals and to see whether the play had served its purpose. Spectators who answered the questions related to the disease correctly were awarded small tokens of appreciation in the form of ballpoint pens.