The Pesticide Play

by Laura Colquhoun

One of the most necessary things that the Adarsh Seuj Prakalpa project has been doing is community outreach work. They visit areas in and around Digboi and provide helpful training seminars on organic farming.  Presentations and workshops given by Taj Ahmed, Pompy Ghosh and a few other employees are well delivered and very informative.  Since we arrived, we wanted to be more involved and discover new ways for people to learn about the dangers of using chemical fertilizers and pesticides.  One of these new ideas was to create a play. 

Laura Colquhoun completed a 10-week volunteer placement in Assam earning credits towards completion of Camosun College's Environmental Technology program.

We had many children’s costumes of insects and animals, so we decided to bring the costumes to the villages and incorporate the many curious local children. 

The play enhances the messages that pesticides are harmful, but also shows the organic alternatives. 

Natural products such as chili, garlic, onion, and marigolds are all found in the garden and are disliked by many of the problematic pests. 

This message is conveyed in a fun and exciting way and has hopefully been a memorable experience for many of the children and adults. 

I’ve always believed that laugher brings people together, overcomes the language barriers, and is a great medium for learning.