I saw it with family. I was really worried how it would turn out. I hadn't liked its marketing campaign at all (except the song). I was skeptical on how Aamir would handle it as an anchor (baffled by reports that he cried a lot in episodes!😆).
But it was good. Really all my fears were dispelled as the show progressed. My mother was crying like a baby as the episode went on. My father was disinterested initially but got completely taken in as the show proceeded to highlight lack of action of authorities, blatant cover up, corruption by female doctors themselves etc. Soon we started debating the issue in ad breaks.
I my friends updating about it on their Facebook timelines, discussing the issue passionately. Cynics can say anything, but the fact is that despite ''awareness'' being there, no one really talks. It took a show like this to get people talking about female foeticide - on a Sunday - when people are usually busy updating their social networks about where they went to hang out, what they ate and shopped for!
SMS Y to 5782711 was trending all day on Twitter. I noticed many celebrities also admitted sending SMSes to support and donate for this cause! No mean feat!
Call it armchair activism, but I believe something is better than nothing at all. It's anyday better to send SMS for a cause than to exchange silly Rajnikanth jokes via SMS or vote for some singer on the nth singing reality show.
Next day too, we talked about the show, those victims, activists at college. Parents told me their colleagues talked about this thing only throughout breaks they got in the day at office! Local papers were filled with praise for the show and Aamir Khan. And many letters to editor appeared on issue of female foeticide again.
I don't know if I became inspired to do more on this issue. But I admit it made me more sensitive to plight women around me face daily...like a maid who was always pitied upon and beaten around for not being able to produce a son.
Educated ones laughed here when Aamir told people it was mard ka beej that was responsible to determine sex of a child. But they don't know how important this fact is for less educated and illiterate ones! They make women go through worst kind of torture and exploitation even at hands of tantriks just to somehow make them produce a son! We can laugh. But let's not fool ourselves in our self obsession, thinking the show was only for us and too juvenile for our ''standards''! [To barking cynics!]
Satyamev Jayate was first time in many years that I felt made TV viewing an engaging experience. I didn't keep remote in my hand to change channel in ad breaks. 😊
Cricket
