'DD's 'Kalyani' changes idiot box definition of TV'

New Delhi, Oct 22 (UNI) Panchu, a 35-year-old villager from Puri district of Orissa living with HIV/AIDS was leading a cursed existence.

Neither he nor his family and fellow villagers, nor anybody else had ever realised that his life could be different, till the man came to the notice of the team producing Doordarshan's rural health programme 'Kalyani'.

It was in Surat, where Panchu ran a tailoring shop, that he tested HIV positive. He came back home to an uncertain future and with an stigma that made his life miserable. Not even Panchu, his family members were also ostracised by villagers.

When Kalyani team met him and his family members, they learnt that he has never cradled his new-born daughter in his arms. He was just awaiting his end. He had not shaved for days and was afraid of talking to villagers.

But Kalyani team member 'Sehri Didi', an Oriya actress who had been given the stock character identity, gave him a new lease of life and confidence with her soothinmg words.

She interacted with Panchu's wife, took the new-born in her arms, and also tied rakhi around his wrist. She offerred sweets to Panchu and had sweets from the same box to demonstrate to villagers that HIV does not spread by eating from the same plate of a person living with the virus.

It took several other members, too, to intill confidence in Panchu about his abilities.

When a month later, the team visited, they were surprised to see that Panchu had changed beyond recognition. He had shed off his disheveled looks and was optimistic and ready to take on the world.

He had set up his tailoring shop again, and it had become popular with villagers, who earlier avoided even looking at him.

Panchu's is not the only success story of Kalyani.

The programme, which is the longest running health communication initiative in the countrty, is achieving unparallel impact on viewers, which has earned many national and international honour for the public broadcaster.

Being produced at nine state capitals since 2002, Kalyani is also bringing a hefty revenue to DD.

''Kalyani has proved that TV is not an idiot box, creating many firsts in public service broadcasting by using television as a tool to create awareness and effect behaviour change rather than using television production as an end,'' Senior programme director of Doordarshan, Usha Bhasin said here.

It is the first longest running inhouse production campaign of Doordarshan, and it generated a revenue of Rs 192 crore last year, she said.

It is the first collaboration between policy makers, service providers and braodcasters, and also DD's first non-didactic entertaining health programme, she said.

''We take doctors to villages to have direct interaction with villagers. This ia a truly reality TV show,'' she added.

Today Kalyani has more viewership than DD's regional news which is the most watched programme in the country.

''When Kalyani is being aired, village streets are deserted, reminding one of the days of telecast of Ramayan and Mahabharat serials,'' says a villager from Orissa.

Ms Bhasin said DD gives 250 per cent bonus to its client ministries in the form of airtime. A number of ministries and PSUs are taking advantage of the scheme.

She said campaign against malaria was given maximum time and money. Ms Bhasin said village Panchayats, Mahila Mandals, Nehru Yuvak Kendras had joined DD in taking Kalyani to remote parts.

The programme was conceived after DD started feeling the financial crunch as government support was stopped after it became autonomous under the Prasar Bharati Act, DD had to compete with private players for getting assingnments from the Ministry and other government department's.

Earlier, Doordarshan used to air government programmes free of cost, but after the Prasar Bharati Act, the practice beacme unviable and the public broadcaster had to inject some commercialism to earn revenue to survive.

Doordarshan has signed an MoU with the Health Ministry for the production of the popular rural health programme 'Kalyani' for one more year.

The health awareness programme has been disseminating messages in entertaining format and in local language on major health concerns among more than 550 million people of the country.

It has demonstrated that media can actually affect changes at a rapid pace by creating partners in the field, and it has done that through 1798 Kalyani clubs, which have often more women than men as members.

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