“In
a gentle way you can shake the world” – Mahatma Gandhi
I have always been a firm believer in doing social
community some good while I have the power and ability. Everybody earns respect through his/her body of work
but very few think about doing good to the society. In my opinion, medical
doctors and teachers are a rare breed that constantly serves the society
through their daily work.
Just a few days back, I overheard somebody saying at
a party “It feels so much better now with Narendra Modi in power, no bureaucrat
dares to hang out in Golf clubs wasting time and money of the people”. Do you
also agree with the same? While I agree that a majority of bureaucrats may
be taking avoidable time span in decision making or for that matter delaying
decisions, but what about the remaining bureaucrats who toil away 40 years of
their lives to the service of people and nation? Such bureaucrats hardly have
time to feast a month in a year and engage in their own business without caring
for the society. I feel it was wrong on one’s part to form a judgment against
the entire community of bureaucrats while observing only a select few. I am not saying this because I’m a
retired bureaucrat but because I find it unfair. But yes, there is a dire need
to change the perspective about bureaucrats by the bureaucratic community by
working hard and producing tangible results.
It is heartening to see that Television and
Bollywood has also taken a significant step in the direction of social
cause. Here are a few shows that I
can recall:
The most prominent amongst them is Satyamev Jayate, which is a joint venture
between Aamir Khan Productions and Star Tv.
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Satyamev Jayate
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There are others that have made a mark in their own right:
Crime Patrol- It was one of the earliest shows that shed light on a lot of crimes that otherwise go unnoticed.
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| Crime Patrol |
Change Aayega Hum
Laayenge- It
shows good guys in the youth and how they bring about change in the society.
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| Change Aayega Hum Laayenge |
The world has witnessed many celebrities who have
taken up social causes close to their heart and have made a difference to the
society.
Notable amongst them is Robert Redford who has been
closely identified with the Green Movement.
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| Robert Redford Photo credits: http://archrecord.construction.com/ |
George Clooney is helping forge the emerging model
of 21st century celebrity activism through his relief telethon
during Haiti Earthquake.
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| George Clooney Photo Credits: http://cdn.sheknows.com/ |
As a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations
since 2001, Angelina Jolie has used her celebrity status to shine attention on
the struggles of refugees everywhere from Cambodia and Thailand to Sierra
Leone.
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| Angelina Jolie talks to Syrian refugees via The Guardian |
In India, Aamir Khan is the celebrity that comes to
my mind who can cut through all strata of society and bring about a significant
change in the mindset of people.
What I particularly like about the concept of
Satyamev Jayate is its level of interactivity. People not only talk about their
lives to Aamir Khan during the Television slot but also have a chance to post
their views and opinions after the show gets over in ‘Mumkin hai’ segment.
I have been following the promos of Satyamev Jayate
and I particularly like the one in which the office clerk who gets a bribe
offer and instead of taking the bribe asks bribe-giver to watch Satyamev
Jayate.
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| Satyamev Jayate promo |
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| Satyamev Jayate promo |
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| Satyamev Jayate promo |
One of the episodes that I fondly remember is the Criminalization
of Politics in which Dr. SY Quraishi, Chief Patron of Delhi Heritage
Foundation, was invited and he enlighted the gathering about the malpractices
in Voting process: http://www.satyamevjayate.in/criminalization-of-politics.aspx. It was a true eye-opener.
.JPG "Dr SY Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India sharing his experience with Aamir Khan during Satyamev Jayate") |
| Dr SY Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India sharing his experience with Aamir Khan during Satyamev Jayate |
Mr Aamir Khan and Mr Rajkumar Hirani were in Delhi
for the shoot of upcoming Bollywood movie P.K last year. During the interaction
with Mr. Khan, I told him that he may keep anchoring the show as people see him
as a “change agent”. He replied in affirmative to do so.
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| Aamir Khan with me in delhi during the shooting of Peekay |
Here is a preview at the insights of Satyamev
Jayate:
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| Satyamev Jayate Insights: Actions taken |
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| Satyamev Jayate Insights: Donations |
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| Satyamev Jayate Insights: Word Cloud |
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| Satyamev Jayate Insights: Votes |
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| Satyamev Jayate Insights: Social Footprints |
I hope that Satyamev Jayate’s new episode starting
from today shall keep the momentum going and shall bring to the fore the
extraordinary contribution of the ordinary people.
I
request you to take a moment and think what social good did you do today?
Source:
I agree that the contribution made by civil servants is not adequately understood by the society. Unbiased portrayal in media is to be encouraged.
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