BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

:Remember the good old days when you woke up to Ramayana and Mahabharath every Sunday morning? Despite new, fresh storylines surrounding us, the enigmatic appeal of mythology that reinforced the good over evil philosophy brought us rather earnestly, to our TV sets. “The Man with the Midas Touch”, as Salman Khan once described him, Aamir Khan gives us good reason to wake up again with the same zeal and impetus, to face the truth, truth we all well aware of, but choose to nonchalantly ignore or simply accept in submission, with no reaction.

“Satyamev Jayate” (Truth alone Triumphs), India’s national motto, in current times hardly seems to invoke any sense of optimism or bravado, rather feels ironical and simply lost in the usurping wave of hubristic and self-serving ethos riding our society. However, it seems a Promethean such as Aamir Khan can in fact defy the odds and get a nation to pay attention to issues that are contemptuous yet covered up, disdainful yet diverted, brutal yet buried and ubiquitous yet unattended to.

This is no ordinary show. Aamir Khan maybe a celebrity but what he brings to the table is completely devoid of his star status. Addressing social issues and causes with his sensitive touch, Aamir has always been in the forefront of reforming the mindset of a generation, be it the youth in Lagaan, Rang De Basanti or taking on pushy parents in Taare Zameen Par. He kicks up a notch with Satyamev Jayate, presenting issues in the rawest of forms without added glitz, glamor or drama, simply told and truly felt. 

Aamir’s motto can be summed up in his own powerful lines “Sirf hungama khada karna mera maksad nahi, Meri koshish hai ki yeh surat badalni chahiye! Mere Seene mein nahi tho tere seene mein sahi, Ho kahi bhi AAG lekin jalni chahiye!! ( My intention is not just to cause a stir, My attempt is to change the face of this! If not in my heart, at least in yours somewhere that fire, that fire needs be ignited!!) Yes, Aamir Khan wants to ignite the fire in society about pressing issues. 

Comparisons to ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ were inevitable, given the premises of the show. But four weeks into ’Satyamev Jayate’ certainly offers a different viewpoint. Oprah chooses to discuss the trials and tribunals of the victims at length. Aamir does that too, but there is an additional dimension to this show, that makes it special. ‘Charity or reform begins at home’ they say and Aamir’s attempt seems to be to reform the thought process of every individual, who will represent a community, a nation and eventually the world. The idea is to reach out to the conscience of the viewer, which seems to be accepting disparaging acts as norms of society. The show helps viewers visualize the fact that cruelty in any form, under any pretext (be it religion or tradition) is not acceptable. That an atrocity conducted over years and inflicted upon by people you know or recognize does not justify the act. It needs to be duly noted and rectified and most of all accepted as an evil practice. 

The significance of this show is that it does not rely on sensationalism, but rather well researched presentation of case studies narrated by victims and their families. There is no explosive revelation of any kind, because the issues being addressed are already there, right amongst us, breathing blissfully, rising rapidly. However society seems to be in complete denial and refuses to accept them as erroneous. Aamir’s heartfelt effort seems to be to ignite that fire that will in fact wake up a nation, not just to his show but to accept that something is not right and that it is alright to feel that way. 

The maiden episode made its mark addressing the female feticide issue, serving as an eye opener in many respects. It was shocking to learn that well educated and affluent families were just as guilty of the heinous crime as their counterparts. Aamir addressed child sexual abuse, a taboo topic for many in his next episode. Handled with grace and dignity, the show walked us through the nightmares of people that suffered in silence, some for many years. There was more to learn, among registered cases of child abuse, a shocking 53% of the victims were young boys. “Dowry” was the next topic on the table. Not as effective as the first two, but informational nonetheless the episode presented victims of Dowry, a defiant bride who ‘exposed’ her future in laws greed and went on to marry someone else on the very same day her original wedding was scheduled and a “pakdwa byaah” where the groom is kidnapped and forced into marriage. There was applause for the concept of simple wedding. Greedy doctors who have lowered to stealing, instead of healing were not spared either. Corruptive healthcare practices that bleed the trusting patients, sometimes literally, an appalling reality were the next issue. Aamir offered generic medicine available at 1/10th of the price (adopted by Rajasthan Govt) and presented Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bengaluru, as an exemplary medical facility that encourages rural population to invest as less as Rs.10 /month in a government program that can ultimately provide them state of the art medical facilities, free of cost.

Cognizant of his mofussil audience across the country Aamir consciously sticks to Hindi, at all times and it works. Aamir nicely wraps up the show offering sensible and meaningful solutions and approaches to address the issues. The final segment encourages viewer interaction with request to send SMS and express their opinion online. The best is saved for the last, a theme encompassing song, enriched with evocative lyrics and soulful music. My favorite so far,’ Mujhe kya bechega rupayaiah”, challenging dowry hungry grooms and their families.

Poignant in presentation and profound in thought, the tone and tenor of the show indulges your senses and invokes compassion to victims within our surroundings. Even if it seems preachy or melodramatic to some, it is justified, because we are addressing human emotions in the raw. It may seem dramatic to cry with Aamir every Sunday morning to empathize with another person, but it certainly is better than dismissing issues with dispassion. As Aamir says, these issues may not affect us personally, but we all live in the same society and someday, somehow the evil inflicted by one person will directly or indirectly impact our lives. And even if it never affects us, there is nothing wrong in empathizing with someone who has endured the suffering and standing up for their cause. Because no matter how well covered up, ultimately truth must triumph, and as Lincoln rightly said “Truth is the best vindication against slander” and this seems to be Aamir’s secret weapon, the Raam baan from Ramayana, if you will! 

Yes, the battle of good versus evil is primeval; its pertinence however is perennial. It is the battle that has been missing over the years, and now that it is here, we might as well join in. Maybe I’m a just starry eyed optimist or believe the earnesty in Aamir’s eyes, but this truth is worth tuning into, because we all know the familiar ending to this battle, ultimately ‘Satyamev Jayate’!