DD1& Zee; Dispelling myths about AIDS

[Guest guest]

Dispelling myths about AIDS

The Business Line 9th February, 2002-New Delhi

Are you sitting comfortably in front of your TV? Digging, perhaps, into a

steaming plate of chicken biryani, attention riveted on the latest twists in a

soap drama, or the ODI face-off between England and India or even smirking at

the inanities of opinion and talk shows. Good. Now turn to DD on Wednesday

nights or Zee News on Saturday afternoons for bit of a jolt.

For the past month, these two channels have, every week, been airing a talk show

on AIDS. Khamoshi kyon on DD-1 anchored by Neena Gupta and Talk positive on Zee

News anchored by malika Sarabhai. For the first time in Indian television

history, a public broadcaster and a private channel have come together to dispel

shibboleths about this disease a panel of experts to reply to uneasy questions.

Of course, this is not as altruistic as it sounds because the programmes have

been sponsored and therefore paid for by NACO (National AIDS Control

Organisation).

Although open discussions on AIDS have been running for years on Vividh Bharati

and FM channels, getting TV channels to air an issue which even in 2002 is

considered taboo has not been easy. NACO's first choice was high visibility

entertainment channels like Star Plus, Sony and Zee who politely refused despite

the possibility of increased income.

Also unsuccessful were attempts to get popular production houses to include a

character suffering from AIDS into their storyboard. Perhaps with the start of

two new hospital-based series, Sanjivani and Dhadkan, this task will be made

easier.

At last, after too many years of superficial yet sympathetic coverage of AIDS,

the ghastly predictions, the appalling descriptions, incomprehensible inertia of

the establishment, these two shows have pushed the issue at a more basic level.

Celebrity activists Sarabhai and Gupta, far removed from their respectibe roles

as a glossy host for CNN's Style South Asia or the weepy second wife in Saans

and Shaanji, are effective rapporteurs: concerned, smart, yet not hopelessly

sappy.

With 3.86 million established cases of HIV in India (there's a heated

controversy over knows AIDS cases and the figure sweeps from 15,000 to 50,0000),

the programmes are a brave and necessary attempt at stripping the public face of

the disease.

The approach of each of the two programmes varies. In Hindi, Khamoshi kyon kicks

of with a small drama explaining the issue of the day, dealing with topics like

the importance of sex education or protection, whereas Talk Positive, probably

anticipating a more educated viewership, plunges right into audience questions,

some of which are quite explicit.

The panelists include health workers, doctors, educators and inevitably HIV

patients unraveling their experiences. In between there are snippets on AIDS,

immunity, the probability of cross-infection and the dangers of selling blood.

So far I have only seen a few episodes but it world be interesting to see

whether any of the programmes, which run for 13 episodes each, will look at the

global debate about the efficacy of expensive drug treatment.

BBC finally aired Commando, the new reality, fly-on-the wall series on 26

January. Produced by Miditech Productions, the series Zeroes in on the

commando-training course at Belgaum, Karnataka.

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Dr.Jagdish Harsh ( jharsh@... )

Director of Administration and Operations

François-Xavier Bagnoud (INDIA) ( www.fxb.org )

161,Satya Niketan Moti Bagh-II

New Delhi-110021

Phone: +91-11-6111793-94

Fax: +91-11-4107381

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