Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Success of Satyamev Jayate - Is it unfortunate ?

“Satyamev Jayate” doesn’t need much of an introduction. A show in which the legend, Aamir Khan, takes up pervasive social issues, one at a time – discusses them, analyzes them and tries to provide solutions for the same.

If numbers are to be believed, 84 million watched the the first episode of the show with a TRP of 4.27, the highest ever. “Satyamev Jayate” was the top search in India on Google Trends. Within three weeks, it has around 1 million fans on facebook. The show has instigated huge waves of discussions on various social networking sites. In short, the response generated for the show is unprecedented.

It’s feels good to know that we, as a society, are embracing these blows to the age-old traditions with open arms. It gives us a sense of confidence in the inherent goodness of our people. It strengthens our hopes of our nation becoming a super-power in future. 

But, amongst all these success stories, amongst all the satisfaction and hope, lies a disappointment in my heart. The disappointment is our sensitivity to the star power. Do we really need an Aamir Khan to teach us that we ought to say no to dowry, or that female feticide is not just a legal but an ethical crime as well.  It’s not that these issues have not been raised in India before, in-fact, the issue of dowry and female feticide are one of the most widely spoken about social ills. I have been watching the TV serial “Crime Patrol” on Sony TV – their core message being that every crime is preceded by clues and indications, which should be given proper consideration. They very recently broadcasted episode on female feticide, before Satyamev Jayate turned up. But as it turns out, it was no big deal. But suddenly aamir takes it up and whoa !, there’s been a miracle. The content was same, just form was changed.

To sum  it up, it is indeed unfortunate how we, as a society, are enthralled by the mighty, even on the trivial topics like dowry. But, at the same time, if an Aamir Khan is what is required to deliver results, then so be it.

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