Satyamev Jayate
Aamir Khan’s new show Satyamev Jayate began this week amidst immense hype and scrutiny. By now a lot has been written and said about it, but i just had to write about it after watching the first episode last night.
In case you haven’t watched it yet, the first episode of the show is available online.
As I watched the episode in segments of 20 minutes each, I felt my eyes welling up. By the time the closing song finished, i had tears in my eyes. You know there are evils in our society, that female foeticide is rampant, but you casually brush it aside as just another of the problems we have. Like dowry deaths, domestic violence, child marriage or what not. By the way, these are topics they will hopefully cover in upcoming episodes.
This show makes it impossible to turn your face away and pretend the problem is gone.
Like always, there are the naysayers. There are already people questioning the point of the show. That they are merely talking about stuff everybody knows already. That Aamir is charging 3 crores per episode. That it will not change anything. That people will continue to do what they do. That we are doomed to continue with our ills forever.
To me, there is a point. Our daily lives allow us the option of closing our eyes and pretending there is no problem. This show brings it right inside our living rooms, with full facts and figures. We can no longer pretend that this is somebody else’s problem. It is OUR problem. If you abort a girl foetus, think of the life you took. Think of what the mother went through. Think of what will happen when your beloved boy grows up and there are no more girls for him to marry.
Think. To me that is the biggest point of the show.
Obviously there are no silver bullets. We will not change overnight. There are really only two options.
1) wait for the Mayan predictions to fix everything for good by the end of this year
2) accept our problems and do something to fix them.
It is easy to lose all hope and say that this is somebody else’s - the government’s job. Yes, a big part of our problems stems from the apparent collapse of our law and order machinery. Citizens have no trust in the police anymore. We have laws but there is no enforcement. The judiciary runs at it’s own pace, where time apparently has no meaning and undertrials spend years in jails just awaiting judgment.
The example pointed out on the show said it all – these brave journalists risked their lives, covered over 40 cities and got incriminating evidence against doctors openly indulging in t. What happened to those doctors? Nothing. What happened to the poor journalists? 8 years later they are running from one Rajasthan court to another, stuck in the rigors of our judicial process.
So obviously waiting for the government to solve our problems is not going to do anything. Will Aamir Khan solve our problems? Likely not. One man can only cause as much change as we let him. In Aamir Khan and this show, we have that medium to spread awareness, propose some solutions and hopefully get some small wins along the way. But there’s the key word. “We.”
We are the ones who will effect any change that happens. Satyamev Jayate is just a medium.
This all sounds very nice and all that, and people several times ask me – “what is the point of writing this? What are you doing about it?” Which is a fair question. What is the answer?
Should all of us become crusaders? Should all of us start NGOs and take out morchas? Should we become RTI activists and risk getting shot in the middle of the night by people we are trying to expose.
Perhaps. Most of us won’t.
But we can start by trying to change ourselves. Learn to respect people around you. Be better citizens. Be better persons. Don’t litter. Don’t try to honk an old lady crossing the road into scared withdrawal. Don’t bribe. Pay your taxes.
Maybe i am naive, but these small steps may just become the medium to much bigger change.
Let’s take it a step at a time. Let’s change ourselves. The nation will change along the way. Rome was not built in a day.
Good read !! (At the risk of sounding like a naysayer, which i am not) I could not resist to put in my 2 cents, so here they are:
Aren’t we familiar with the problems (both social and systemic) that are around us? We all are !! but then we choose not to do anything about it.
In a country where “ignorance is bliss” has been a mantra since time immemorial.what do you expect to change? (Please do not consider this a rant or pessimism. It is introspection).
To comment on the solutions, or rather the “cold turkey” steps you have mentioned.Don’t you think everyone know that, how hard it is to understand to “Learn to respect people around you. Be better citizens. Be better persons. Don’t litter. Don’t try to honk an old lady crossing the road into scared withdrawal. Don’t bribe. Pay your taxes”.
But in a country, where politeness is equated with weakness.Throwing litter on the streets, honking at people is acceptable ( indifference towards others) for lack of a better word. What do expect the people to practice? You sort of give in to the idea of “chalta hain” attitude. We need a brain wash more than anything else?
Desperate time calls for desperate measures.We should have assembly line where people will walk in, get their thoughts sanitized and walk out.Anything short of this solution will not bring about the intended change in society?
There has to a “manthan” to get rid of the insenstivities ( vish ) in oneself. After a long and constant churning, something good would come out? But for that one has to constantly work towards it.
Sigh. I hear you, and sometimes feel an immense frustration that nothing will ever change. We people are just condemned to live in this hell that we have created forever.
Perhaps 2012 will be just that manthan, and fix everything for good.
If not, we will have to take things in our hands and do something about it.
An issue is an issue till we are not directly involved. The moment you point out a person who litters, he will vehemently defend himself citing various reasons. That I think is the root of all our problems.
There are a thousand reasons to defend evil when it is inside you.
Hmm…
+1 AD
btw I like the rhyme in last two lines….
The nation willchange along the way
Romewas not build in a day
also like the concept of manthan! If u ever start an NGO canadian….Indian branch has a member
well,
here is what i thin
first of all this show or any awareness according to me cant do anything to change the mentality of many people,
they’ll still expect others to change, and when it comes to themselves they’ll still pray for a son.
i dont know what the solution is.
this is a big problem.
i’m currently in Australia and i heard of this show from a pregnant Indian lady and i asked her what is point of the show when she was going on and on about it.she said “it makes us feel how good our lifes are. we are not the only one’s with the problem”…
I just think that this will end up being one feel good show for many
P.S- I feel Aamir was acting throughout the show. his expression during the first few minutes when he is saying those lines on mothers, are really fake.But that just me
P.P.S- Happy mother’s day
//we can start by trying to change ourselves. Learn to respect people around you. Be better citizens. Be better persons. Don’t litter. Don’t try to honk an old lady crossing the road into scared withdrawal. Don’t bribe. Pay your taxes.//
This is what change is. As many people understand this and live by it, change will automatically come.
Lovely Post.
Well its really superb and revolutionery reality show.. Here Mr.Perfet “Mr.Amir” once again proof himself that he is really tirumfic and unique man… With unique ideas.. And this time he uses hìs every ultimate ideas for improving our Indian society.. Awareness reality show for every Indians either they are normal pupils or they are politition, police etc
Great post, I agree with your views and have tried to write something similar on my blog. Thank you for a lovely post.
[…] foeticide, one abuse or one dowry harassment, I think it will be a great achievement. I read this great article on Amreekan desi about satyamev jayate that I found simple and to the point also have borrowed […]
a rise in atheism has decreased the relevance of karma. people don’t realize that the bad they do will return and affect them
no. I ain’t advocating the supernatural karma or poetic justice but yes there wrong will indirectly make them suffer. it’s a vicious circle
awesome serial
[…] Amreekan Desi watched its first episode on “female foeticide” and here is the reaction: Our daily lives allow us the option of closing our eyes and pretending there is no problem. This show brings it right inside our living rooms, with full facts and figures. We can no longer pretend that this is somebody else’s problem. It is OUR problem. […]
[…] Amreekan Desi watched its first episode on “female foeticide” and here is the reaction: Our daily lives allow us the option of closing our eyes and pretending there is no problem. This show brings it right inside our living rooms, with full facts and figures. We can no longer pretend that this is somebody else’s problem. It is OUR problem. […]
[…] as the show is being aired in various channels of private along with public networks simultenously. Amreekan Desi watched its first episode on “female foeticide” and here is the reaction: Our daily lives […]
i wish this program never ends.. :(
[…] episode was earth shattering. People talked about it for a week. It trended on Twitter. I wrote about it. Aamir Khan met Rajasthan CM to get action taken against errant doctors. Bla bla […]
[…] Amreekan Desi watched its first episode on “female foeticide” and here is the reaction: […]
jai hindMay 7, 2012 i am shahrukh fan but i dont like all his moeivs i am not a aamir khan fan but i like his moeivs..i liked the below comment except for the one about Ra one i didnt liked ra one but i am his fan because he is an actor who brings smile on your face and he is a great entertainer too including a great host..its his choice what moeivs he wants to do..about aamir he makes moeivs sometimes on social issues and moeivs often have a message i admire him for that..for satyamev jayate yes it is overhyped for the simple reason being such programs has been hosted by many people before and they have done without monetary gains i admire aamir that he has made a show on these issues and it is reaching the masses the show should show true emotions because the issues are real and those people narrating their issues are real..i dont follow a thing just because a star has done it..good things should be appreciated whether its done by a common man or a star i saw the show for five minutes and switched it off because the promos showed something else i was expecting something else the promos should have highlighted the format/content because the issues were so powerful that it could gone positive only also i switched it off because i have watched such shows and the desire to help and understand issues and people should come from within and one can get the message either from a not so hyped show or from Aamir’s show people should not forget about these issues or the concerns after the 13 episodes..but this should be implemented by each of us thats what the message of Aamir’s show too..the change has to come from each one of us..jai hind !! satyamev jayate