Amir Khan Satyamev Jayate Episode 8 (Sunday, 24 June 2012)

For decades our food and water have been contaminated by powerful, harmful pesticides which have been promoted as necessary for better agricultural output. But the reality is that we don't need pesticides for better yield, and their use is not only deadly for health but results in expensive farming methods. The solution is to adopt organic farming, which is possible and profitable, as the state of Sikkim has shown.

Amir Khan Satyamev Jayate: Is India banking on Aamir Khan for social reforms?

Gayatri Sankar

When Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan graced the small screen with ‘Satyamev Jayate’, one would have least expected the impact the show would have on the aam janta and the bureaucrats.

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Satyamev Jayate: Aamir Khan grills pesticide maker; advocates organic farming

The show is a hit for all obvious reasons. However, what is grieving indeed is the fact that the nation needed Aamir Khan to awaken its sunken self. Was India running short of ideas to correct the infected system? Maybe yes.

It looks as if Rajasthan Chief Minister Mr Ashok Gehlot needed Aamir Khan’s assistance in realizing the urgency to set up a fast track court to settle impending cases of female foeticide in the state.

“I am moved by Aamir`s programme and his gesture. I will definitely take up the issue and speak to the chief justice of Rajasthan to find a way,” Gehlot said while addressing media at a press conference. But wasn’t Mr Gehlot aware of this crime that his state was committing for years? Couldn’t he have formulated a way to deal with the malice much earlier? Perhaps not.

But while Mr Ghelot was kind enough to respond to Aamir’s appeal, Minister of State for Health, Rajkumar Sharma had a contrasting feedback to give on Aamir and his show.

He said, “The government took up the issue much before Aamir Khan`s programme. It is not because of him that the government is working against female foeticide.”

One can clearly see the lack of coordination in the state government; where one was acknowledging concerning issues, the other was trying to cover it up.

Nonetheless, there were more resolutions that were being worked out. It may have been in the wake of ‘Satyamev Jayate’ or a mere coincidence , the Lok Sabha passed the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Bill on 22nd May, precisely 10 days after the episode on child sex abuse was telecast.

Moving ahead, what’s interesting is that Rajya Sabha MP Shanta Kumar of the Bharatiya Janata Party, who heads the parliamentary standing committee on commerce, had invited Aamir to share the knowledge they gained while researching the episode on malpractices in the medical fraternity.

What was the committee doing prior to the telecast of the episode on medical malpractices? Why didn’t anyone discuss ways to uproot corruption from the healthcare system earlier?

The Indian Medical Association made Aamir a villain for allegedly defaming its fraternity and the medical profession. But the IMA had little to say when Medico Friend Circle (MFC) and the Forum for Medical Ethics Society (FMES) slammed the body for trying to silence “messenger” Aamir.

“We appreciate that you want to uphold the dignity of the medical profession. However, we feel that denying or minimizing the importance of issues raised on this show and demanding an apology from Aamir Khan is definitely not the most appropriate way of upholding the dignity of doctors,” said Dr Anant Phadke from MFC while talking to a daily.

So it clearly emerges that there is a huge discrepancy in the system, which might take years to get rectified.

However, one can see the changes being implemented with the Maharashtra Government announcing that generic medicines would be made available across all Government hospitals. In addition, the State Government has also planned to open medical stores across the state where generic medicines will be stocked in adequate amounts, and will be readily available for people.

Thanking the state government, Aamir tweeted, “Great news guys! Maharashtra govt. announces Generic medicines to be made available! Thank u CM sir Mr Chavan & Health Min Mr Suresh Shetty(sic).”

It feels good that the phenomenon called ‘Satyamev Jayate’ is directly or indirectly stirring souls but one question still remains unanswered - does India really need Aamir Khan to awaken social, moral, civic and national conscience?

Satyamev Jayate’: Aamir Khan says treat the disabled as equals

Mumbai: The sixth episode of Aamir Khan’s ‘Satyamev Jayate’ dealt with the disabled section of the Indian society. The host, who has succeeded in striking an emotional chord with the masses, spoke about how people generally treat their disabled countrymen. 

Citing a number of inspirational messages through videos of disabled people, the episode discussed the rights to education for all, irrespective of physical ability.

However, the Indian society is seldom open to accepting people with physical or mental disability in the mainstream section. Most parents do not appreciate having disabled children in regular schools as they fear it might cast a negative impact on their children and hence institutions refrain from admitting disabled kids. And this indifferent attitude of people has been projected in the episode of the show.

The show played host to blind and lame men who narrated their inspiring stories and proved that they too could fall within the bracket of the fittest and survive with pride.

The audiences also stood witnesses to a noble initiate called ‘Amar Jyoti’, a school that welcomes all kinds of children and treats them as equals.

And equal treatment would only begin when the government takes appropriate measures to treat them as one among the many from the mainstream section of the society.

With over 6 crore people with disability in the Indian society, the need of the hour is to have disabled friendly infrastructure that will enable such people to have trouble free access to public places and vehicles.

The show also urged companies to hire men and women with disability so that they too could contribute to the Indian economy.

Captain Brar, a resident of Ahmedabad has set an example by setting up a company with over 270 disabled people employed. And according to him his company is doing exceptionally well because of their efforts and hard work.

At the end, Aamir spoke about the need to have inclusive educational institutions with quality teaching staff and infrastructure in place that will allow disabled children too to be a part of regular schools and have a normal upbringing. 

Amir Khan Satyamev Jayate Episode 6 Sunday 10 June 2012

What does it take to become a true hero? Watch Satyamev Jayate at 11 a.m. on STAR Plus to find out.

Aamir asks, “What are the qualities required to become a hero? Beautiful face, fit body talent, intelligent mind?” No! Find out what is that quintessential quality only on Satyamev Jayate this Sunday at 11AM on STAR Plus.

People with disabilities have the same zeal and appreciation for life as the rest of us do. They can, and want to, participate in all aspects of life along with the mainstream. But people with disabilities get shunned, doubted, mocked and insulted. Access to public places and buildings is restricted and often impossible. Doors are closed for schooling and employment. India does not appear to be mature enough and understanding enough to recognise people with disabilities for what they are – people.

Persons With Disabilities

Episode 06: We Can Fly!

Shreya Chaturvedi is 11 and exudes an enviable zest for life. Another person with disability is Sai Prasad, who demonstrates similar enthusiasm, and he has taken flight, literally. Software engineer Krishnakant Mane writes poetry in his spare time, and climbs real mountains as well as the virtual ones created by a disabled-unfriendly world. ”

Satyamev Jayate: 2nd Episode deals with child abuse

New Delhi: The second episode of Aamir Khan's much talked about television showSatyamev Jayate deals with the issue of child abuse. Given the huge positive feedback generated by the pilot episode that tackled the contentious subject of female foeticide both in rural and urban India, the second episode is even more explosive in form and content.

According to the sources, Aamir has been working with a string of NGOs working with children abused sexually either at home or outside, often by people they trust. There were indications that Aamir intends to drop a bigger bomb on May 13 at 11 AM during his show on Star Plus.

The second episode has shown the cases of Cindrella Prakash and Harish Aiyer who have gone through bad experiences in their past.

Aamir has stirred up a hornet's nest as statistics have shown in the past that sexual abuse of children is rampant in Indian metros, with the abuser often known to the child.

A survey conducted in 2007 by the Women and Child Development Ministry and the NGO Prayas in association with Unicef and Save the Children across 13 states and with a sample size of 12,447, found that 53.22% of children reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Delhi had reported the highest percentage of such incidents at that time.

In 50% of the cases, the abusers were known to the child or were in a position of trust and responsibility and most children did not report the matter to anyone. The aim of the study was to develop a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of child abuse, with a view to facilitate the formulation of appropriate policies and programmes meant to effectively curb and control the problem of child abuse in India.

The National Study on Child Abuse is one of the largest empirical in-country studies of its kind in the world. This study also complements the UN Secretary General's Global Study on Violence against Children 2006.

In the first episode, Aamir talked about the killing of unborn girls, an alarming reality not just in the far-flung cow belts but also in urban Indian households. Aamir said it involves the collusion of families, doctors and a social structure that encourages the desire for a boy child - at any cost. The result has been the death of over 3 crore unborn girls since independence and a generation of young men, many amongst whom will find it very tough to get a life partner.

He also set up an SMS poll: "Do you want the Rajasthan government to set up a fast-track court to process the cases arising out of the sting operation on doctors performing female foeticide, carried out by Meena Sharma and Sripal Shaktawat? SMS Y for Yes or N for No, and send to 5782711."

The feedback has been overwhelming. Three days after the show was aired, the Madhya Pradesh Health Department suspended the licences of 65 Medical Termination of Pregnancy centres for not submitting their reports on the prescribed form. Meanwhile, Aamir met Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to appeal to him to take action in old cases of female foeticide in his state.

Watch Online Full 2nd Episode : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw9lSkRBm3U&feature=player_embedded