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Empowerment with entertainment

Madhur Tankha

Soap opera "Atmajaa" will soon be back in its third phase

NEW DELHI: Sensitising women about the rights of the girl child and how to rear them in a positive environment is the soap opera "Atmajaa -- Born From The Soul" that will soon be back in its third phase on Doordarshan National network.

More than being just a serial, "Atmajaa -- Born From The Soul" is an innovative awareness campaign about issues revolving round women that has been made by development filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda. It sensitively portrays the void created by the absence of a woman who could be an affectionate sister or sweetheart or a loving "bhabhi".

The first and second phase of the series is over on Doordarshan and the third phase will complete 52 episodes of "Atmajaa -- Born From The Soul". Dealing with the myth that daughters are a liability, the serial attacks female foeticide and the root causes of gender discrimination, old prejudices and myths about the girl child.

The underlying objective of the serial -- made in an edu-entertainment format -- is to reach out to women in the reproductive age group and sensitise them about their sexual and reproductive rights.

The third phase of the serial deals mainly with the consequences of female foeticide against a rural backdrop. It highlights worrisome facts about the rise in crime against women in the form of forced polyandry, child marriage, bride selling, rape and trafficking of women in villages where the gap in the sex ratio is increasing by the day.

With strong identifiable characters, "Atmajaa -- Born From The Soul" aims at empowering women, shaping individual behaviour, encouraging inter-personal relationships and breaking traditional myths about the girl child.

While it revolves round women's issues, the serial in no way alienates the male audiences as it has strong positive male models.

Supported by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the serial's production is funded jointly by SIDA, Plan International (India), USAID and IFES.

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