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The journey which began some four months ago has been one that resulted in crores of people joining hands and coming together via the Satyamev Jayate platform. Via social media, including Facebook and Twitter, Satyamev Jayate has made over a billion impressions.
In this episode Aamir talks about the killing of unborn girls, or female foeticide, an alarming and frightening reality. 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.
The sexual abuse of children is a horrible reality, and many are unaware of its extent. Research has shown that as many as 53 per cent, or one in every two children, are victims of child sexual abuse. Contrary to belief, the home is not the safest place for a child, as many abusers are trusted by the family. In addition to educating children and encouraging them to be brave enough to say No to abuse, parents themselves need to be sensitive to their children’s signals. Moreover, a robust and specific law against child sexual abuse must be put in place to protect the child and vigorously punish the abuser.
Most people dream of a lavish wedding but the reality in India is that expensive wedding celebrations and heavy dowry demands end up making brides’ lives miserable and ruining their families. The very concept of marriage has been turned into a transaction, with no value placed on the people or the relationship. But this can change, and it is up to girls and their families to say NO to dowry, to insist on simple ceremonies and restore the sanctity of the wedding bond.
People trust medical practitioners, believing that they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to safeguard their health. But when this knowledge is misused to exploit this trust, medical care becomes a nightmare. The profession is riddled with unscrupulous doctors and hospitals out to make big bucks at the cost of patients, but there are still medical practitioners who stand up for the Hippocratic Oath, and those who want to clean up the profession.
The simple act of falling in love opens up a world of emotions and reactions which sometimes culminate in crime – the death of the couple. Even if they escape death, lovers who go against religious and community barriers still have to face harassment and censure from society and, due to this pressure, rejection from their families. But the law is clear, that consenting adults are free to marry. And there is an organization which protects couples, helps them fight harassment and gives them shelter so they can marry freely.
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.
For countless women, entering married life often means the beginning of a stressful, violent existence. Beating one’s wife seems to be ingrained in many men’s mindsets as the appropriate behaviour for a strong male, but the consequences are misery for the wife and children, and often a broken, unhappy home. The concept of domestic violence is based on the notion of patriarchy, which needs to be converted into equality.
Every morsel of food and sip of water we take is important for our health and well-being, right from the time we are newborn infants. Yet, 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 the use of these pesticides 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.
Alcohol consumption is associated with having fun and enjoying life. But excessive, irresponsible drinking takes away that very life itself. Many alcohol addicts have climbed back to normal life, proving that it is possible to live happily without alcohol. Help for alcoholics is available, free, at Alcoholics Anonymous. Even the occasional drinker must never drink with the aim of becoming drunk. And under no circumstances must you drink and drive – that is the road to disaster, literally.
For a country which has been independent for 65 years, it is a matter of shame that we have not yet shaken off the tyranny of caste-based discrimination. Countless people have to live in degrading conditions, children are unable to go to school, employment avenues are closed, and even education does not open bigoted minds. No measure of progress can be true unless the question of people’s equality is factored into it. And we can only be considered a progressive nation when we refuse to accept caste differences.
Our parents are the ones who have brought us up and made us what we are. At least out of consideration for that much, we should be good and kind towards them. But countless people all over India don’t think so, going by the numbers of abandoned old people taken in at old age homes. Then there are some older people who take matters into their own hands – be it romance or adventure sport.
After air, the next most vital thing for our survival is water. While at the moment we have enough water for our needs, a time is likely to come when our water supply runs out and we have to buy water at a price similar to fuel. This is a situation which already exists in some parts of the country, and ‘water wars’ are a common occurrence. The solution, which some people have implemented, is to save and store rainwater.
When India’s leaders envisaged building a new nation after Independence, the Constitution was the foundation stone of this endeavour. We had resolved to establish a sovereign, secular, democratic republic with justice, liberty, equality and fraternity for all. Enough Indians have been putting these principles into action, that the country can find hope to awaken into a ‘heaven of freedom’.
The journey which began some four months ago has been one that resulted in crores of people joining hands and coming together via the Satyamev Jayate platform. Via social media, including Facebook and Twitter, Satyamev Jayate has made over a billion impressions.
To fight rape we need to change the balance of power which is presently skewed in favor of rapists and against a survivor of rape
Episode 2 highlights the issues faced by the police. It talks about the attempts made to introduce reform and protect police from political interference. This was ignored by state governments.
Most of the trash we generate can be used to produce fertilizer and generate electricity. Instead, huge mounds of it lie piled up in our cities and villages, posing a serious threat to public health and the environment.We bring you some solutions; simple ways to treat waste, so that we may reuse, recycle and revive the earth. In Satyamev Jayate Season 2 Episode 3 we deal with the waste management in India"
Casting a vote once in five years is not enough for a democracy to thrive; its citizens must ensure that they engage on a regular basis with the government system as participants. If eternal vigilance is the price of democracy, every citizen has the duty to assess its workings. Yet, most of us spend a significant amount of time criticizing the establishment instead of trying to change it.
We have to change the nature of the government machinery, make it transparent, accountable and imbued with the spirit of service. Of course, this is no easy task. But we are not powerless. In the past, the right to vote has humbled the most powerful and arrogant, the most corrupt and criminal.
The opening episode of Season 3 focuses on the tremendous potential of sports to bring about a change - a promise that India is yet to wake up to. Sports is generally regarded as a waste of time; from an early age children are constantly told by parents and teachers to concentrate on academics. No wonder, India lacks a sporting culture - our performance at international level events is a telling indication. But sports is about so much more than winning medals. It is about building team spirit, of learning to lose with grace and coming back to fight another day. Sports also has immense transformative potential. It helps break down barriers - of caste, religion and gender - as this episode highlights through the stories of people and initiatives that are helping to change the lives of thousands of Indians for the better. This change is possible for all of us – we just need to get out and play.
On an average, 380 people are killed in road accidents every day in India. It’s a large number, yet there is little public outrage, or call for action. Episode 2 highlights how a majority of them cannot be dismissed as accidents – in fact they are murders. Aamir Khan speaks to affected families, road safety experts and authorities to examine why the numbers are so large, and what can be done to change this.
There is a whole group of people whose very existence is treated as a crime. They are those with alternative sexualities—lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT). We invited experts and some people from these communities to tell us how inspite of everything they continue to live life on their own terms and why we must all learn to love and respect people with diverse sexualities.
Episode 4 of Satyamev Jayate focuses on one of the biggest public health problems India faces today—tuberculosis. India reports the highest number of TB patients in the world and this disease kills lakhs of people in the country every year. The episode examines how the disease has come to acquire such dangerous proportions with the emergence of new, deadlier strains. Through the testimonies of patients, medical experts and health workers, the episode highlights how TB should not be regarded as a poor man's disease, but one that affects every strata of society.
Mental illness continues to be shrouded in ignorance, stigma and superstition in India. Instead of receiving help, people suffering from mental illnesses are treated with indifference, apathy and are kept away from mainstream society. Most of us don’t know that 1 out of 4 people in India suffer from a diagnosable mental illness and that all of us are vulnerable to it with busier and faster-paced lives. It is this reality that Episode 5 of Satyamev Jayate examines through the accounts of patients, mental health experts and caregivers.
95% of incidents of violence in India are committed by men. The final episode of Season 3 examines why this is the case and how deeply-entrenched notions of masculinity affect attitudes towards women. The episode also helps explain the larger violence we witness in society, be it in the form of incidents of road rage, ragging or acid attacks. It explores how fixed notions of masculinity are shaped and how they victimize not only those at the receiving end, but men themselves as well.
