Mahajal – The Big Fishing Net was written by Mr Rakesh Raman, a playwright from Ranchi, Jharkhand, and performed by his theatre troupe on three occasions:

• On 19 and 20 April 2003 in two of the villages of the street-play’s inspiration in Ranchi – Fulwar Toli in Bundu Block and Chhota Changru in Silli Block.
• On 24 and 25 April at the Policy Review Workshop held in Noida, Delhi.

The street-play was written as an interpretation of the collective outcomes of the six project case studies carried out in Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal – with the six texts, four PowerPoint presentations and three CD-ROM film documentaries as the playwright’s source material.

Act One sets the scene of fisherfolk’s livelihoods and the difficulties they face in a tribal village. Act Two places the project’s policy change recommendations within the context of the characters’ lives and aspirations.

Before Mahajal’s performance in Noida, Delhi, the theatre troupe traveled on two days to Fulwar Toli and Chhota Changru, where Act One was performed and the respective Case Study film documentaries – “A Proactive Village” and “A Progressive Farmer” – were also screened using a lap-top, projector and generator. During the Policy Review Workshop, Act One was performed at the conclusion of the first day, and Act Two in the middle of the second day.