Sunday, June 24, 2012

India's latest TV hit breaks taboos and offers rare window on abortion and 'honour' killings...

Like just about anywhere else in the world, India's top-rated television shows tend towards the less cerebral end of the spectrum – soap operas, talent contests, game shows and, of course, the cricket.

Yet the latest programme to captivate the nation of 1.2 billion offers its audience neither the chance to become a millionaire nor vote for their favourite singer. Instead, it confronts them with taboo issues such as female foeticide, "honour" killings and the ethics of the dowry system.

Fronted by the veteran Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, Satyamev Jayate (Truth Alone Prevails) has been watched by a staggering 400 million people since going on air in May.

Eight weeks into its 13-episode run, the show is not only shaping public debate but has already shamed politicians into action. Two states have fast-tracked a law protecting children from sexual abuse and another has promised to open shops selling cut-price generic medicines. Rajasthan, the state with India's highest male-to-female ratio, pledged to speed up court cases punishing those who practice sex-based abortion. Full story...

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  2. Parents in India resorting to new "methods" to kill off baby girls...
  3. Big Pharma continues drug experiments on the poor for profit...
  4. An estimated one million girls are killed in India every year...
  5. "Unwanted" girls in India choose new names...
  6. Bollywood 'untouchables' film sparks controversy...
  7. Bollywood vs. Bin Laden: Why radical Islam fears pop culture...
  8. Bollywood tackles India's national shame, "honour" killings...
  9. Elections Bollywood style: India's chutney democracy...

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