TOI:Spunky,feisty,real: Pratigya

On Women's Day it's safe to say that 'It's a woman's world alright'. And Indian television has proved to be a leveler of sorts so far as the man-woman equation is concerned. It is here - within the parameters of the little soap box- that gender roles and biases are reversed.

In the world of Indian television, men usually play second fiddle. For millions of women, the benefits of television are more substantive than frothy. At a time when TRPs are at the mercy of hinterland India, television has become a source of entertainment and empowerment, even though the power comes from merely wielding the remote, which can make, break and even change the fortunes of general entertainment channels (GECs) overnight.

It would be safe to assume that attitudes about women in rural India remain traditional. They are expected to cook, clean and have babies. With education changing the attitude slowly, TV stepped in to provide a quick fix. So in comes shows which are trying to change the way TV has been viewed by women in the past few years. These shows are trying their best not to show women as emotionally dependent, eager to please, sentimental and primarily concerned with family. The protagonist in Mann Ke Awaz Pratigya for example, stands firm against the menace spread by eve teasers, something which is rampant in small-towns. The spirited Laali from Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo, might be uneducated and rustic, but she knows and fights for her self respect.

And it's not just about marriage and babies. Gunjan and Nupur of Miley Jab Hum Tum are from small-town India too, but have big dreams for themselves. Nupur refuses to succumb to family pressure and marries the man she loves. Dr Riddhima from Dill Mill Gayee is not someone who you can pass off as a sentimental love-fool, but is a career oriented urban woman, a character that's been much appreciated. Carrying a torch for your husband who questions your fidelity is something Jyoti (in the show Jyoti) will not have. She insists on a divorce before he remarries (no dealing with soutens).

TV is slowly working its magic on women by providing them with a new televised set of peers and in turn changing their attitudes. If only other shows could follow suit, TV's emancipatory effects would reach a wider section of the audience where the traditional attitudes towards the fairer sex still hold forth.