Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action (SNEHA) is a Mumbai-based nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of women and children in urban slums. SNEHA empowers communities to create healthier, safer environments in Mumbai.
Simit Bhagat Studios collaborated with SNEHA to produce an audio story to highlight a gender-based violence survivor’s journey. The story showcased the vital role of SNEHA in providing support to survivors of violence.
Creating the Audio Story:
This audio story was an unplanned yet powerful project. It emerged as a by-product of a short documentary film we made for SNEHA. The film focused on ending gender-based violence through community action.
While interviewing several women abused by their families, one story stood out. It was the story of Shabana (name changed). She detailed the violence her husband inflicted on her and her daughter.
“I tried to hang myself many times. Drank rat poison and other harmful substances as well. I was at my lowest.”
Shabana shared while recounting how her husband would mentally and physically abuse her and how she found no support from her local community, pushing her to take such drastic steps.
We knew her story had to be told. So, we chose to share it independently to give it the focus it deserved. Next, we selected a storytelling medium that would do justice to the subject. Protecting Shabana’s identity while maintaining the story’s integrity was paramount. So, we chose an audio story. Shabana’s narration guided us in creating the right visuals.
Production:
We initially had 45 minutes of footage of Shabana detailing the events of her tragic marriage. We cut it down to 15 minutes, then to a 2-minute audio story.
We wanted to use a creative approach to highlight this story. So, we used animated illustrations to make it more engaging. This helped us safeguard her identity and, at the same time, give a face to the story.
Each frame featured hand-drawn illustrations with unique visual elements. Our personalised character designs and backgrounds reflected the survivors’ narrative. We planned key scenes to depict Shabana’s journey and the space in which she lived.
Post Production:
The animation process started with integrating each illustration with its corresponding audio part. During post-production, we edited to ensure seamless synchronisation between voiceover and visuals.
Stirring music was incorporated to intensify the emotional depth of the narrative. Additionally, we added subtitles and used typography elements for better accessibility.
This audio story and illustrations highlighted the struggles of many, like Shabana, who remain unseen and unheard.
If you believe in the power of an audio story to bring about societal change, we invite you to reach out to us here.
