Monday, May 7, 2012

Satyameva Jayate! Episode 1


Satyameva Jayate is an Indian television show hosted by Aamir Khan whose first episode was broadcasted on 6th May 2012. The show will be aired on Star Network & Doordarshan & is directed by Satyajit Bhatkal.

Episode I (Female infanticide, feticide)

The first episode starts off with a monologue of Aamir. 

Sirf hungama khada karna mera maqsad nahi
Meri koshish hai ki ye soorat badalni chahiye
Mere seene mein nahi toh tere seene mein sahi
Ho kahi bhi aag, lekin aag jalni chahiye!

The episode started off with personal interviews with 2 women who had had their babies aborted. Amisha Yagnik fell pregnant 6 times in 8 years & had her babies aborted! Parveen Khan suffered worst. She was bitten in the face by her husband after medical tests confirmed that she was carrying a baby girl for the second time. She was a mother of one girl already. When the makers of the show interviewed the general public 100% were of the opinion that such things were more common in smaller towns or villages. However the statistics revealed something else. Female foeticide is more common in metropolitan cities like Delhi & Mumbai as also Chandigarh. While it started off in areas of Rajasthan & UP it spread gradually to western & central India & later in southwest India. Andhra Pradesh & Kerala in the south seemed like the only 2 states in the south that were less affected. Guess there is a huge difference between being literate & being educated. The best example of this would be the following two instances:
·       A female doctor was interviewed who too had lost a baby due to this issue. Her husband was an orthopedic surgeon who had supported his mother when she asked her DIL to abort the child.
·       A gynecologist who works in the interiors of Rajasthan amongst the adivasis said that the adivasis have never asked them, the doctors, to determine the sex of the unborn child. The birth of a girl makes them as happy as the birth of a boy!

Food for thought:
1.     During the show it was revealed that the Government of India had once allowed female foeticide. This was when the population of India was increasing by leaps & bounds. This fact shocked the hell out of me. What sort of people have we elected who sanction murder?
2.     When Amisha Yagnik’s case for the custody of her baby was going on in the court, the judge had the gall to ask what is wrong if her in – laws want her to produce a ‘ghar ka chirag’. This was said in open court & no action was taken against the judge. Also, the judge had fired the PSI for having arrested Amisha’s in – laws! Some judge I must say!
3.     Female foeticide in the future can lead to an imbalance in the male : female sex ratio. If this ratio is disturbed then there could come a time when men do not find any girls to marry them. This could encourage flesh trade! The girls which would be bought in this would never have the status of a wife but would be merely children producing machines! What would be their future? What would have of their children? Will they be separated from their mother right at birth? This horrid thing isn’t something which will happen in the future. It is something which has already started. Many girls are being bought from Bihar & Belgaum for this very purpose today!
4.     A sting operation was carried out by 2 reporters from Sahara News Network in which they have revealed a number of doctors in Rajasthan who are involved in the whole sex determination – abortion racket. This news had created quite a furor when it was brought out in the open initially. However, as is common with most crimes in our country, no action has been taken against these doctors till date. Some have even got promotions! Doctors, who are supposed to be saviors were shown smiling shamelessly & uttering cringe worthy things like, ‘you cannot just throw the aborted child anywhere. Bury it in a graveyard or drown it in the Yamuna!’ And the best or the worst part was all these doctors were females!

At the end of the show a public appeal was made asking everyone if they supported setting up fast – track courts in Rajasthan so that the above mentioned doctors could be prosecuted at the earliest. We have to sms Y to 5782711 if we support this cause. The sms will cost Re. 1. Mukesh Ambani will be contributing the exact equal of the amount collected via these smses and the total amount collected after tax deduction would go to ‘Snehalaya’ an institution which works on the issue of female foeticide. Inspite of being a miser I smsed them right away. Anything for a just cause!

Likes:

  • ·       The show was very informative. The team has put in a lot of effort in gathering information, sorting it out & presenting it in a clear yet interesting fashion. Nowhere did I see any attempt to sensationalize the issue as we see news channels do (‘do not forget, you heard this here first! Eeks! Such claims make me cringe in horror!)
  • ·       Everything was done in a very dignified manner. I have never liked to see people cry on TV. Donno, just do not like it. Find such emotions very OTT. Yesterday, all the 3 women who were interviewed said their story with their heads held high. Nobody cried buckets! Kudos to them. For me they are true icons of feminism who fight daily for what is right! And I feel I liked them more for their dignity than their courage!
  • ·       Aamir Khan (blush blush). Can’t help it. I am his huge fan. Loved how he wasn’t decked up in some flashy sherwani or kurta. A simple t – shirt with blue jeans & a wow watch! His aim was to divert attention from himself to the more important issue he was discussing. Also, the producers of the show had asked for a prime time slot. It was Aamir who said that he wanted each & every member of the family to watch SMJ. And 11 AM was the correct time for family shows. He cited examples of Mahabharata & Ramayan which were hugely popular in their days & were aired at 11 AM. This man is indeed a one – man army. Love his thorough research in all the things he does!

Dislikes:
  • ·       To be honest NONE!


Suggestions:
I would have liked the show makers to have included one more angle to this story. I would have liked if they had interviewed those people who were in favor of female foeticide (with their faces blanked off naturally!). I would have liked to know what psychology, what beliefs forced normal people to turn murderers? And not just any murderers but inhumane murderers who don’t think twice before killing a yet unborn child!
But then as a friend said to me, why allow these people to voice their opinions when they have never allowed anybody else to speak in their times? Guess she too is correct! Confused!

My take: A must watch program. 10/ 10 from my side. Me already eager for next Sunday! 

The link to the first episode:

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