Satyamev Jayate

Every Sunday morning, Indian television viewers get to see a social issue being discussed in Satyamev Jayate. I never got a chance to view any episode until today. Everyone is aware of the commendable response that this initiative by Aamir Khan has received throughout the country. It is claimed that the show has left a bigger impact on the society than expected.

So, today I was looking at TRPs of this show. The Television Viewer Rating has plummeted from 3.8 in the first month to 2.9 in the second month. I have always heard people talking optimistically about this show, but the popularity seems to be fading away. Obviously, these ratings are not a true indicator of what the actual situation is.

Though Aamir Khan seems not to be worried about these falling TRPs, his aim has been to improve the viewership. But what I see as a matter of concern is whether the very purpose of the show is fully achieved or not. Today at the end of the show, which focused on caste discrimination, Aamir Khan talked about how those freedom fighters made us free in 1947 because of which we remember them today and similarly, we should also make our society free from the evils of casteism so that the coming generations remember us. What I doubt is that if today’s show was vibrant enough to encourage the present generation to act? It was shown that how people perceived that casteism has almost come to an end at least in urban areas but it exists even today in well reputed universities and practiced by the youth of the country.

Yesterday, I was watching IIFA, which was too uninteresting except a couple of performances by Priyanka Chopra and Bipasha Basu. Not getting into all that, this IIFA was called ‘green’. Before and after every break, tips to conserve electricity and save environment by doing your bit was shown, but I doubt how many of the viewers actually followed it? Or even if they did, will it be sustainable? The problem lies here!

For viewers, Satyamev Jayate might be something worth to watch on a rainy Sunday morning like today, sitting in the drawing room, sipping a cup of coffee. What I think is that human memory is short lived. An hour and a half show on a Sunday is nothing to turn the stone upside down. Ofcourse, it is creating awareness among the masses but I feel there should be follow-ups the entire week after the episode is broadcasted on Sunday, to show more real-life stories, problems, experiences and the ways in which we can fight against them as it is our responsibility as the youth of the country.

I am not denying the fact that in rural areas, thousands of villagers gather in a place and watch the show, which definitely has a positive impact. Ofcourse, the show is doing something noble. Something is better than nothing! It would be wrong for me to say that it’s a half hearted approach, but with little more effort if something substantial can be achieved, it will be in the betterment of our very own society.