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Humraahi - India

Country

India

Programme Summary

Almost as soon as India's Hum Log broadcasts ended, development of Humraahi ('Come Along with Me') was initiated. In contrast to its predecessor, Humraahi benefited from extensive audience research as well as closer observance of Miguel Sabido's strategies for using this medium (television) for educational purposes. In fact, in 1986 a production team from India visited Mexico and received training from Sabido in researching, writing, producing, and evaluating social content serial dramas.

This campaign aimed to promote awareness of the status of women, especially with regard to age of marriage, age of first pregnancy, gender bias in childbearing, equal education opportunity, and spouse selection.

Communication Strategies

Like Hum Log, this serial used the technique of an epilogue to reiterate the main messages of the programme and link these to viewer's lives. The epilogues for Humraahi were delivered by Tanuja, a popular Indian movie star. As in Hum Log, an address to which viewers could direct letters was also given. However, unlike Hum Log, Humraahi set up a system for responding to the barrage of mail and for referring viewers to agencies in their localities that offer services.

52 30-minute episodes of Humraahi aired during prime-time.

In 1995, a radio adaptation of Humraahi was planned; this would allow the characters and social messages to reach more than 800 million Indian radio listeners.

Development Issues

Gender Equity.

Key Points

By the time Humraahi was broadcast in January 1992, the Indian airways had become harder to access. Competition for prime time had become fierce, an unintended effect resulting from the success of Hum Log. Still, Humraahi obtained a prime time slot and became highly popular among viewers, achieving ratings as high as 78% in four cities in the North India Hindi-speaking belt.

Partners

PCI-Media Impact, Doordarshan (the Indian government television network), Rockefeller Foundation (evaluation), Annenberg School of Communication (evaluation), Deptartment of Communication and Journalism of the University of New Mexico (evaluation), and MODE (evaluation)

Contact

PCI-Media Impact

777 United Nations Plaza - 5th Floor

New York NY
10017
United States
Tel: 212 687 3366
Fax: 212 661 4188

Source

The Use of Mainstream Media to Encourage Social Responsibility: The International Experience - The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation - Prepared by: Jennifer Daves and Liza Nickerson - The Media Project


Placed on the Communication Initiative site November 06 2001
Last Updated July 22 2009



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