Reba (name changed) had lived most of her young life in a government shelter-home with no contact with any kind of family. Life was far from ideal and she knew that she would have to move out at the age of 18. With limited education and no clue of career choices, her future was a haze and completely lacked any sense of direction or purpose. But when Sohini Chakraborty entered her life and the lives of other girls like her, Reba’s entire perspective of life changed. Chakraborty is a practitioner of Dance Movement Therapy and participation in her workshop made Reba a new person. Her entire outlook changed, her self-image transformed drastically and suddenly she had an ambition in life, an ambition which she knew she could achieve. Today Reba, along with 3 others from the shelter home, is a dance movement therapy practitioner with Kolkata Sanved, a not-for-profit organization set up by Chakraborty in 2004. Said Bonnie Bernstein, (renowned dance movement therapist who practises in Palo Alto -California) on a recent visit to India.; “A diamond, an emerald, a ruby and a pearl…..that’s what these four girls are!” It is these four who are founder members of Kolkata Sanved along with Chakraborty.

“Dance Movement Therapy (DMT is an alternative approach to psychotherapy, which uses dance and movement for healing. It has been defined by the American Dance Therapy Association as the psychotherapeutic use of movement to further the emotional, cognitive, physical and social integration of the individual.

 ^{This is called Dance Movement Therapy!}

Says Chakraborty; “Kolkata Sanved uses DMT as a medium to gives individuals the space to release trauma, express themselves creatively through movement and free themselves in both body and mind. DMT can be practiced both individually and in a group.”

Based in Kolkata, the organization has conducted extensive DMT sessions in West Bengal, while also being active in Maharashtra, Odisha, Bihar and the city of Hyderabad. “We also conduct sessions in Nepal, Thailand and Bangladesh,” says Chakraborty.

With a credo of Heal, Transform, Empower, the organization reaches out to survivors of gender-based violence to empower them and to vulnerable children and youth with a view towards protecting them. Says Chakraborty; “What I fight for is not just to teach people dance but to make them strong individuals in society with dignity and self-respect. One in three women worldwide face gender-based violence. Cycles of violence begin and end with the body, leading to adverse effects on the physical, emotional, social and cognitive well-being of survivors. They experience trauma, guilt, shame and self-loathing, along with the belief that there is no likelihood of a positive future. They are unable to access their agency, without which they are unable to empower themselves.”

Under the cause of protecting at-risk children and youth, the organization works with young boys and girls living in government and NGO-run child care institutions. Through them it reaches out to red light areas, railway platforms, rural and urban slums, school children, people living with mental illnesses and children in conflict with the law. Elaborates Chakraborty; “We are associated with the Department of Women and Child Development, as well as with non-government-organizations and reach out to participants through them.  DMT sessions have grown hugely in popularity since we started our work. Research has proven DMT plays a significant role in improving mental health outcomes and promoting well-being. It is an excellent medium for decreasing symptoms such as clinical depression and anxiety. Expressive methodologies have been shown to be more effective with children, compared to traditional dialogue therapy. The use of DMT within the child protection system has enabled many children to heal from trauma and reclaim their lives.”

^{Helping Hands at Kolkata Sanved}

Kolkata Sanved’s approach to DMT is unique since it is practiced in the development context. The Sampoornata model has been specially created and contextualised to the Indian setting. Says Chakraborty; “A fundamental principle of this model is that survivors can become healers. DMT participants are given the opportunity to themselves evolve into DMT practitioners.” This has been a greatly successful exercise with participants becoming agents of change in the community. And apart from becoming practitioners of DMT, many participants have built up the confidence and soft skills to carve out their futures with other vocations as well. “For instance, we have seen many of our participants taking to nursing,” says Chakraborty.

Kolkata Sanved’s Centre for Lifelong Learning TISS Diploma in Dance Movement Therapy is the country’s first university-affiliated course which spans one year and is offered at Kolkata and Mumbai. Due to the human-rights perspective inherent in the course, it explores not just the DMT process but also the role of dance and DMT in bringing about social change.

Says Chakraborty; “Since we were established, we have worked with 65000 survivors and have had 63 trained practitioners emerging from the community. We are happy to have within our fold 100 national and international volunteers and collaborate with 60 national and international organizations We are also fortunate to have a bank of very committed donors and partners.   But for us, this is just the beginning. We wish to grow without limits in our mission of building the ecosystem for DMT-for-change and in creating leaders and changemakers in the field, especially through empowerment of individuals from underprivileged communities.”

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