Mumbai, 6 October 2009: The BBC World Service Trust in India announced the launch of its FM radio drama series, designed to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. The 156-part Hindi-language radio drama, entitled Life Gulmohar Style, will be broadcast every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from 7:30-7:45 pm, beginning 7th October.
Life Gulmohar Style tells the story of five young people in search of their destiny. It is funny, romantic and serious. The drama deals with a host of issues facing women today, including their sexual and reproductive health, violence, and their roles and responsibilities in a changing India – all in an entertaining way that stimulates listeners to question negative attitudes about women. Directed by the BBC’s award-winning producer Pervaiz Alam, Life Gulmohar Style will be broadcast on all five of All India Radio’s FM Rainbow stations: Delhi, Mumbai, Jalandhar, Lucknow and Kanpur.
The drama serial is the outcome of extensive research conducted by the BBC World Service Trust that examined how the media can be used to address the rising rates of sex selective abortion in India. The 2001 Indian Census revealed a sharp increase in the disparity in the child sex ratio, from 976 girls for every 1000 boys in 1961 to 927 girls for 1000 boys in 2001. The research concluded that a fictional radio drama is an appropriate and effective tool to tackle the complex issues surrounding gender inequality.
Yvonne MacPherson, Country Director of the BBC World Service Trust, added: “Our research shows that if the entertainment media were to depict the positive aspects of modern women, then it could be a force for change in increasing their value. Through Life Gulmohar Style, we want to create a thought-provoking and entertaining drama that explores the reasons for the devaluation of females and demonstrates ways in which social pressure can be challenged.”
Commenting on recent media trends in India, Pervaiz Alam, director of Life Gulmohar Style, said, “It’s a sad fact that the genre of radio drama is declining in many countries, including India. But with the launch of Life Gulmohar Style, arguably India’s first FM Radio drama in the form of a long-running serial, we are trying to tap the newer and younger audiences who are tuning into FM radio.”
Over the course of the year, the BBC World Service Trust will be tracking audience reaction to the drama on a dedicated website www.lifegulmoharstyle.org and through research it will measure whether the show has had an impact on changing attitudes towards women. The BBC World Service Trust is the BBC’s international charity. It uses media and communications to reduce poverty and promote human rights, thereby enabling people to build better lives. The BBC World Service Trust shares the BBC’s ambition to provide accurate, impartial and reliable information to enable people to make informed decisions.
