India Uses TV Sleuth to Deliver AIDS Message

July 29, 2002

" India Uses TV Sleuth to Deliver AIDS Message "

Chicago Tribune (07.14.02):: Gezari

" Jasoos Vijay, " or " Detective Vijay, " is India's newest

fast-paced television detective serial with a twist: The hero is

a private investigator who doubles as an AIDS educator. Backed by

the national AIDS organization and aired on the country's

government-owned TV network, the show represents a new level of

acceptance of the threat AIDS poses for India - not just to

traditional high-risk groups but to the public at large. It is

India's first television drama aimed at teaching ordinary people

about the disease.

Launched this month, the show takes viewers to remote

villages where Detective Vijay must confirm the purity of brides-

to-be, investigate bribery scandals and solve murders and

kidnappings while delivering succinct messages about AIDS and

sexual health. It runs several times a week during prime time and

targets viewers in northern India, where the number of HIV/AIDS

cases has so far remained relatively low.

While India's AIDS program has funded non-governmental

organizations that work with members of high-risk communities, it

has been less willing to throw its weight behind educational

initiatives for the public. " The idea that AIDS is affecting

regular people - in addition to high-risk groups - is a reality

that's just beginning to sink in, " said Shaleen Rakesh, a project

coordinator with Naz Foundation Trust, a Delhi-based AIDS

prevention group. " Detective Vijay " and several other new AIDS-

related programs - including a reality show for teenagers - are

part of a $6.2 million project funded by Britain's Department for

International Development and produced by the charitable arm of

BBC World Service.

Filmed on location with cliffhangers at the end of each

episode, it is meant to grab the attention of viewers accustomed

to a dizzying range of shows and extravagant films. In the first

episode, during a murder investigation, a turbaned villager tells

Vijay that he has heard AIDS can be spread through mosquito

bites. The detective explains that the virus spreads mostly

through unprotected sex.

Source: [AEGiS] CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update 07/26/02

Forwarded by : " Manju Chatani - HDN " <manju@...>

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