Caste Away Arts

Not only do Caste Away Arts do theatre which is total eye candy but we have our own range of hair care product for splitting hairs yes ladies, gents and in the betweenies its called Reena B’s MA! Dur dur doh!
Before I even got involved in Caste Away Arts I was a scruffy student with very bad split ends. I went to the University of Birmingham and did a MA in Social Research and cultural studies programme. I wanted desperately to do research. I am a very curious person and I though hey might as well do the taught programme and learn a few long words on the way. Here is an edited extract of my research. Enjoy the intellectual read and trust me it mends those nasty straw split ends. Mine have all gone 100% trust me with a monopoly money back guarantee.
 

Splitting Hairs

Intro – The problem
The research I undertook was a qualitative piece exploring the experiences of Casteism on British-born South Asian (Punjabi) people. This research involved conducting in-depth interviews with four respondents who had been subjected to Casteism and chose to come forward and speak out about their experiences. These four respondents were accumulated through personal acquaintances. The respondent groups all derived from an ‘untouchable’ Caste background and belonged to the Punjabi South Asian community. The research I undertook was a qualitative piece exploring the experiences of Casteism on British-born South Asian (Punjabi) people. This research involved conducting in-depth interviews with four respondents who had been subjected to Casteism and chose to come forward and speak out about their experiences. These four respondents were accumulated through personal acquaintances. The respondent groups all derived from an ‘untouchable’ Caste background and belonged to the Punjabi South Asian community. 
The main findings
The aim of this research was to gain an insight into the persistence of the Caste system in the UK. It was also a vehicle to voice the experiences of those who suffered Caste discrimination, and lastly hopefully to gain the acknowledgement of the reader that Casteism is a form of discrimination that needs to be challenged and addressed. 
This research was conducted by interviewing 4 respondents who stepped forward to share their experiences of Casteism. The interviews provided evidence to highlight the persistence of this phenomenon and it indicates the seriousness of the discrimination experienced. These experiences range from name-calling, a breakdown in relationships, being virtually ignored, and to exclusion in the work place. All of these experiences are far too important to ignore.
The main significant findings in this study are that Casteism does indeed exist in the UK and that it is imbedded into institutions of education, work and social and private life. This research also clearly indicates that the problem of Caste is not a simple phenomenon to grasp.
The extended family is an essential part of the culture of the South Asian community so that even where family members live in different parts of the UK, there is frequent contact and the influence of the family extends beyond the immediate geographical area of the home.  Therefore, in spite of the relatively small scale of this study, it would appear reasonable to suppose that the experiences of these respondents do represent those of other members of the South Asian community throughout the British Isles
One of the initial aims of my research was to highlight the fact that Caste discrimination exits in the UK and that it is a serious issue that can affect one’s life. The interviews demonstrate that Caste discrimination has had a negative impact on interviewees’ lives.
 

The research I undertook was a qualitative piece exploring the experiences of Casteism on British-born South Asian (Punjabi) people. This research involved conducting in-depth interviews with four respondents who had been subjected to Casteism and chose to come forward and speak out about their experiences. These four respondents were accumulated through personal acquaintances. The respondent groups all derived from an ‘untouchable’ Caste background and belonged to the Punjabi South Asian community. The aim of this research was to gain an insight into the persistence of the Caste system in the UK. It was also a vehicle to voice the experiences of those who suffered Caste discrimination, and lastly hopefully to gain the acknowledgement of the reader that Casteism is a form of discrimination that needs to be challenged and addressed. This research was conducted by interviewing 4 respondents who stepped forward to share their experiences of Casteism. The interviews provided evidence to highlight the persistence of this phenomenon and it indicates the seriousness of the discrimination experienced. These experiences range from name-calling, a breakdown in relationships, being virtually ignored, and to exclusion in the work place. All of these experiences are far too important to ignore.The main significant findings in this study are that Casteism does indeed exist in the UK and that it is imbedded into institutions of education, work and social and private life. This research also clearly indicates that the problem of Caste is not a simple phenomenon to grasp.The extended family is an essential part of the culture of the South Asian community so that even where family members live in different parts of the UK, there is frequent contact and the influence of the family extends beyond the immediate geographical area of the home.  Therefore, in spite of the relatively small scale of this study, it would appear reasonable to suppose that the experiences of these respondents do represent those of other members of the South Asian community throughout the British IslesOne of the initial aims of my research was to highlight the fact that Caste discrimination exits in the UK and that it is a serious issue that can affect one’s life. The interviews demonstrate that Caste discrimination has had a negative impact on interviewees’ lives.What Action needs to be taken?
Casteism is persistent amongst young British-born South Asian people. The experiences of Caste discrimination are far too serious to ignore and will continue to grow. This research acts as a proposal in an attempt to amend the Race Relations Act to acknowledge Casteism as a form of racism. This form of discrimination, like any other, needs to be acted upon and challenged in order to prevent experiences like those encountered by the respondents. The first step towards this is to change legislation by enacting laws that prevent Casteism and recognise this as a punishable offence.  Caste is like splitting hairs and this is the name of my thesis and I use this analogy because it is just that. We divide our selves from our selves. If the world hasn’t got enough bloody trouble we split hairs and it looks like a frigging mess. Sort it out and get some treatment and long term conditioner repair. WHERE?
 

THE FIFTH CUP! – for your splitting hair
  

I spent yesterday afternoon swanning around the corridors of power. I’m talking about The Houses of Parliament. - It wasn’t just for fun though, I was attending the CasteWatchUK conference. Quite a few people attended including various MPs, including Virendra Sharma, Labour MP for Ealing Southall, and Labour Councillor Elias Mattu from Wolverhampton. Elias Mattu was very encouraging about The Fifth Cup and he’s booked the date in his diary.

Now conferences aren’t really my thing (hence the reason I’m involved in the drama side of things) and I got a tiny bit lost with some of the legal terms being discussed, but what was most shocking to me were the testimonials. One of them was anonymous and one of them was by the very talented rapper and poet Shiv Gharu. He talked about how he was discriminated against by people that he thought were his friends, and his girlfriend’s dad who didn’t let him in the house because he was apparently an “untouchable”. He put his experiences into a piece of spoken word which was amazing - he rocked the Houses of Parliament!

As a writer I am always on the lookout for stories and inspiration and those testimonials definitely provided me with that.

For more details about the conference go to: http://www.castewatchuk.org/westminsterconference.htm

What a great day - QUALITY! I can still feel the love two days later! And by that I mean, the way that the whole cast and crew became friends (even I managed to put my whip away and crack a smile!), the emotions coming out during the scene workshops, and the way the community that use the Mandir interacted with us the whole day.

They showed us enough love - pakoray and tea in the morning, prashad at lunch, offering to make us langar for every rehearsal, and generally being really excited and supportive about The Fifth Cup. In one of the doors to the rehearsal room there was a hole in one of the panes of glass (how glam, NOT - we’re tryin to keep it real!) and loads of kids were peeping through so Reena promised to let them meet the actors later, she’s really good with kids, and they got really excited about it. Then my mom’s Masi barged in halfway through demanding to say hello to me. Lol! But it was all good.

We got loads done. The younger actors are developing loads and learning so much. They’re so enthusiastic and I love their energy. Reena Combo impressed me too, she only had the script for a couple of days but did really well. I love the way that everyone got into their characters, especially Dhar who did a lot of sitting on his own in corners with his script and looked like he was meditating at some points!
The only hitch in the rehearsal was the Teacher not turning up. She did let us know she couldn’t make it but Reena and I talked it through and decided that, for various reasons, we’re getting a new actress to play the Teacher. Harv has someone in mind so I’m sure it will all turn out ok.

The aim for the next rehearsal is to get everybody off-script. We tried to imagine how the set would look and made them move around the stage but it doesn’t really work with scripts in hand. And we need to move onto working on body language too.

One thing that made me really happy was that the changes made to the script worked really well. - Those late nights were worth it, who cares if I’m losing my looks?!?!

The dark circles are worse today. They look like black bin bags. I went to sleep way past midnight last night, and then dreamt about the play!

BUT…I finished editing the script! What we have now is a box office smash!….seriously, book your tickets now.

Not that it wasn’t amazing before, but I think that when the actors start rehearsing the play they bring it to life in a different way. They add a bit of themselves to the characters and light bulbs went off in our heads because we had ideas of how we could make it even better. A few fuses also blew in our heads when we realised that certain things didn’t work so well off paper. But that’s the beauty of this, it’s a fluid work in progress.

I spoke to Reena about 20 times today! She’s busy sorting out the set, a mammoth mission! and Ravina’s busy working on our marketing and publicity. As you can tell, the heat is on!

Yesterday was the first rehearsal of The Fifth Cup. I’m still on a high today! Despite the dark circles under my eyes. We (me and my very supportive husband) got back late from Birmingham last night after a meal with the majority of the cast and crew.

The whole day went amazingly well. I’d describe it as positive, creative, inspiring, and maybe a little bit scary when I think about all the work I’ve got to do! Harv and I made a lot of changes to the script. Chunks of dialogues have been cut and a bit more needs to be added here and there. I was prepared to be flexible so wasn’t crying over stuff being cut that Reena and I so painstakingly wrote. After all, this is still a work in progress and it the play was brought to life in a different way with the actors.

Speaking of the actors, I love them. I’ve got faith in everyone, even when I had to have, erm, words with a couple of cast members that went to the shop at lunch and got lost, which meant they came back an hour later than everyone else! Oh yeah, and of the actors who was playing an important character failed to show up. Luckily, we got a very lovely and experienced actor to step in on the day and he’s agreed to join the team. That’s life I guess, full of ups and downs. But yesterday the ups far outweighed the downs.

Got up this morning at the crack of dawn and prayed that everyone would turn up. Collected one of our actors and the other drive like 10 miles per hour behind me for the rest of the journey. Rena seemed very cool and relaxed eating her croissant and in fact she was a bit late which is so not like her at all. Guessed my way to the Mac (where I once used to work back in the olden days). It brought back memories. It’s a nice location and was perfect for today.

Everyone arrived and the studio. Some were a bit late bute better late than never. The atmosphere full of positive vibes all over. Nice bunch of people. Harvinder got stuck right in. Lead a facial exercise workshop – great stuff! If you exercise your body you should do your face too! If you want a face structure like mine do what I do and you’ll never get botox again. Harv got down to work like she’s been doing 50 years. Rena and Me took it all in. Rena probably took more in because she’s got a bigger brain though.

The warm up games were fab! I knew from here we had the best cast God could ever bestow. Thank you so much God your good to me. The games were hilarious and I was just blown away with the energy and charisma by all of you. Thank you all.

Neetu – you’re a comedian left right and centre. I love it I love everything. Could watch you for hours. You brought up some interesting questions about caste also. Not all of us are familiar with certain terminology I hope today was useful. OMG I loved your dancing. Bust a few moves again Mrs Nagra. Well done today.

Vimal – Thanks so much for stepping in after a serious let down (I am going to get you and you know who you are and I know here you live and work Mr let down!) You’re a true professional and did a great job despite not having the script before hand. Cheers Mate. Look forward to working with you.

Dhar – Well having worked with you before you instantanousllmatically (that’s from my dictionary so don’t put this through the spell check Rena lol) came into my head for Mad Man. You performed just like the character myself and Rena wrote. Spot on.

Vrinder – you look the part and you were the part from the very start. Gift from God just when we were struggling to find our lead “you came along just like a song you brightened our day who believed you were part of a dream that only seems”. . . Where did you come from? Wolverhampton to New St to the Mac to us. Thank you for being a part of this project you truly shined today and glad your with us.

Amit – Wat go waaan? Your so like one of the kids I teach I want to send you to the head teach! The one who thinks he rules the school and is Mr bad man. Your brilliant. Need to work on pronunciation but hey at least you can say ‘Animal’ and Aminal like me you’ll get there! Well done. You were a natural today and have all the qualities of a plastic G Prital the Jatt innit!

Mona – Mona I just feel like pouring my heart out to you and moaning about everything. Will you be my Mum? Your loveable and really got into Pami’s skin. You’re so much like her, loving caring, ambitious and a back bone to her family. You were the back bone in this rehearsal and even poor Vrinder felt you didn’t speak to words to him at dinner. If only you had 10 arms you could give us a group hug. You’re lovely.

Jinder/ Raj – I can’t believe your 41. You’re a very talented artist and from your stories (I am not going to repeat) I believe you can turn black into white by simply telling people. Its that voice. You have so much emotion in it and it’s real because you know your character so well. Great effort today and loved your role play with Pami. Good chemistry between you artist which is very detrementalistic . See you on the big screen one day.

Jay – as soon as I saw your cheeky face I knew our paths had crossed. Even when Rena mentioned your name it rang a few bells in that empty head of mine. I covered your music lesson at school and you made an impact them with your cheesy wotsits song. You were so nervous and you asked me to stand by you but as soon as I walked away you stood there so strong and bonded so well with everyone. For a 13 year old that is a milestone. Your role play with Rena was so funny. I am so happy that you enjoyed your self and that you want to call me sister that means so much to me. I am proud of you and believe in you all the way kid! All the way to the moon and back you good old crak!

Robert- this one comes into my shop in Hillbillys and used to come in a mob. But when I saw you perform in Soulful gospel choir you stood out like s sore thumb. I had to call you in. You have so much talent and so much to give. Trust me this is just the beginning. Your only sweet 16 and you are on a journey. Your Mother Jane is so proud of you and I know that your Father will so happy to see how far you have come. I really mean it when I say you stand out from the rest of the cronies in our neighbourhood – bless them but Bless you more in the name of our heavenly Father.

Kay – another one I met by chance in my shop. I over head you talking to one of our kids about drama. I looked at you and thought hey you would make a great teacher and indirectly asked you if you knew anyone would be interested. Your performance started off a bit shaky but as you got into the rehearsal you became stronger. Good effort. We want to work on you more. Well done and well done for managing this project along side your new course. Loved your coat and glasses. You got it going on gal!

Amrit – Me and Rena auditioned you last year and your were super fab. Your very professional for a 15 year old and worked extremely well with the whole cast. This is a very difficult thing to do for a young lad. You got a lot to give and showed us real team effort. Arrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhh your so sweet.

Dave – last but not least Diamond geezer. Your character didn’t have a big role but you played it very big and gave it your all. I and Rena have discussed adding more your Mandeep into the play and feel that it would be a waste if we didn’t see more of your bling thing in this play. It was good working with you and can’t wait for you to meet Parveen who will play the love of your life. Watch this space peoples!

I had a great time. Had to fill in for Simram and you know what its dam hard acting. Its not easy as it looks so I respect all you and praise your efforts. I am not a actor though I lead workshops. I found my self a bit nervous and put on the spot so I should do more of this if I teach the blooming subject. Its hard work and we killed it today. I am so happy and Rena is bizzing.

Thanks for coming in Billy and getting some footage though you missed us from the start. I hate cameras but I need to get used to you sticking it in our faces.

Harv you did a great job on the script editing and me and Rena have truck loads to do. Dinner was great. Thanks for joining us Tony and loved what you’ve done with the music and the website. Its great.

Sorry Jay and Jinder for loosing the car in the car park but I don’t understand locations and car parks and sorry for screaming so much on the way home I do that when I don’t know where the hell I am going. I think I am going blind and plus it wasn’t my car.

Ok off to bed! Not really I come alive after 1. hehehe look forward to next rehearsal