Amir Khan- An actor with brain as well as courage

Today I saw the first episode of Amir Khan’s debut TV show ‘Satyamev Jayate’ (Truth Alone Triumphs). What can I say? I am speechless, salute him for his effort that’s all I can do. The issue of gender discrimination was always close to my heart. I saw it happening around me since my childhood, it happened in my family, in my neighborhood. I could see it happening everywhere around me. It was expected that Amir’s show would be somewhat different than others, he promised that and I must say that he didn't disappoint, actually it was beyond my expectations. It's not only different, but it's also unique. Many stars made their debut on Indian television before him, some were very successful, and for some, it didn't work that well, but all their shows were related to pure entertainment, and relied heavily on their personality and charisma. I was curious where Amir would stand but he did something entirely unexpected, he didn't stand in that line, he started his own line. Now we have to see how many others have guts to stand behind him in this line.

The first episode of Satyamev Jayate dealt with the subject of ‘female feticide’, the subject closely related to female suppression. The last few posts on my blog were related to women's suppression and I tried to focus on a few reasons behind so much bias or prejudice against females in our society particularly in India (where I spent most of my life). It's sheer coincidence that the first episode of Amir’s show dealt with a similar subject. According to me female feticide, the crime committed openly in Indian society today is a result of a social mindset which resulted because of centuries of male dominant environment.

I was shocked to know from the show that it was the government program that started female feticide in India. In the 1970s couples were producing too many kids in the hope of having a male child. The government tried to implement a family planning program but with very limited success. The desire to have a so-called heir for the family (son) was too strong and people cared little about population growth and its effect. Maybe government authorities working in the population control department thought the reason behind the birth of many girls/kids was the couple's desire to have a son (as an heir to the family). They thought of eliminating this byproduct (baby girl) for those couples who only desired to have one or two sons (and were willing to go on producing kids until they fulfilled their desire) and hoped this would bring population growth under control. They gave them the option to abort unwanted children (girl children in these cases) to limit the number of kids and avoid population explosion. Many individuals and organizations opposed this practice. The government realized its mistake soon and stopped this practice of sex determination during pregnancy but by that time the damage was already done. The diagnosis of the problem itself was wrong so no wonder the treatment failed and apart from that it also resulted in horrible side effects which turned into a major disease itself.  They opened doors for the huge illegal market for this business. Their plan failed because they didn't try to understand the root cause of the problem, why do couples desire only to have a ‘male child’? What is the reason behind it? Is the situation of females in society responsible for this desire? Was the government doing enough to support them?

When I wrote in my post ‘Who is guilty?’ I can understand why a woman being female herself wants to abort a female child, why they are so scared to bring a female child into this world? Did I support their action by this statement? No, not at all, but I want to point out the reason behind this act. We all know whatever they are doing is wrong, but then why are they doing it?  WHY? We might think that this problem is more among the uneducated/poor class, but that's not true, actually in every section of society, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, urban and rural, this problem exists. What is that fear? What's the origin of this fear? Are all these mothers involved in this crime culprit or the victims? It’s a very difficult question to answer. Many of these females who commit this heinous act are not offenders but I think they are victims themselves. From their childhood, they have seen the horror of being female, and are discriminated against because of their gender. This all stays deep in their psyche. After marriage, they are supposed to produce an heir for the family (boy). The pressure is huge, expectations are high and failure to fulfill this duty is not accepted very kindly. What is the result of all this? These women want to prove their worth, want to make people around them happy at any cost and be respected in their families. Their fate depends on what they deliver, male or female child. This creates that 'fear'. The sex of the child they deliver is key for their own survival, this forces the mother to get rid of her child, not by choice but to save herself from the humiliation, and torture that she faces after delivering a girl. Yes, it's shameful but many times she doesn't have a choice. If we can remove this 'fear' from her heart then we may not need any law to control this crime, it might stop automatically. 

Amir’s show did an excellent job not only in highlighting the problem but also in suggesting a possible solution. He didn't just show us the problem, we all knew it, he offered us the possible solution and promised to be a part of it. That’s what I like about him; he wants to be there with us when we fight this social evil. It’s not a fight against a few individuals, or some ruling class, or some invaders. It’s a fight with ourselves, our own people, our own family members, their beliefs, and our own society which is conditioned to think in a certain way and we have to break that mold without breaking the society.

This program left me not only with tears in my eyes but also with a lot of hope. I knew that I was not alone who is thinking like this but now I am sure, people are not only talking about this but they are willing to act. Together we can bring the desired change. I want readers of this blog to think about it, watch that show if you haven't already, and contribute your share. Remember, no contribution is small. One person cannot bring the change but he/she definitely can initiate it. I think Amir and his show intend to do that, hats off to him for doing this. He alone can't do it, we all have to be part of that effort. And please don't make this a fight or a war against a few individuals, hate the sin, not the sinner.

Thanks for reading and please share your views. 

References:

1. http://satyamevjayate.in/

(Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing)