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MKBKSH Season One %26 Two Brief |
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Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon
- I, A Woman, Can Achieve Anything
Background
Access to safe and voluntary family planning is not only central to gender equality and women’s empowerment, but is
also a human right. Yet an estimated 225 million women across the world, who want to avoid pregnancy are not using
safe and effective family planning methods (source: World Health Organization), for reasons ranging from lack of
access to information or services to lack of support from their partners or communities.
In India, 47% of girls are married off before they turn 18 years of age (UNICEF's State of the World's Children Report,
2012). As per a study by Prof. Prabhat Jha (Centre for Global Health Research), at least 4-12 million sex selective
abortions were reported in past three decades, evidence of the low status of women in the society. The Total Fertility
Rate of 2.3 births per woman in 2012 (compared to 1.88 in US and 1.66 in China) and a Maternal Mortality Ratio of 167
per 100,000 live births (2013) corroborates the same. Even though recent events in India have seen a rejuvenation of
debates and commitments on the need to improve the status of women in the country, issues related to gender and
family need a greater focus.
Programme Website: www.mkbksh.com; Social Media: FB - Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon and Twitter - @MKBKSH_
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Population Foundation of India (PFI) recognises that gender norms, roles and relations affect health outcomes. Being
female or male has a significant impact on the health status, as well as access to, and use of, health information and
services. Guaranteeing universal access to equitable and good quality reproductive health information and services free
from coercion and discrimination is critical for achieving gender equality and ensuring that women and young people
can participate as full members of society.
Programme Strategy
India’s growing population continues to be a cause for
concern among policy makers and the Indian society at
large. There are several myths and misconceptions
about the nature of the population ‘problem’ and what
needs to be done to achieve rapid population
stabilisation. More investments are required to support
changing gender norms and practices within families,
communities and the health system. There is a neglect of
important gender issues, such as preventing early
marriages, early and repeated pregnancies, under-
nutrition of girls, domestic violence and gender
inequality.
To address such regressive practices, PFI conceptualised
the transmedia intervention titled Main Kuch Bhi Kar
Sakti Hoon – I, a woman, can achieve anything
(MKBKSH). Using a 360° communication approach,
the intervention reached out to intended audiences
through TV, radio, mobile, social media and an intensive
outreach through NGO partners in five districts each of
Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, to enhance knowledge,
change perceptions and shift attitudes on these social issues.
Television
NGO
Outreach
Radio
Our 360°approach to
behaviour change
communication
Community
Radios
IVRS based
applications
Social
Media
Scripts of Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon were developed based on the positive deviance research carried out in
collaboration with Dr Arvind Singhal, Professor and Director, Social Justice Initiative, Department of Communication,
University of Texas. The positive deviance approach identifies positive practices and behaviours in a community and
aims to amplify them as a norm for all to adopt.
Programme Design
Mass Media
Digital Media
Outreach
Television
Radio
Social Media
IVRS
via NGOs
Community
Radios
Awards
Programme Website: www.mkbksh.com; Social Media: FB - Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon and Twitter - @MKBKSH_
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The fulcrum of the initiative is a teleserial Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon. During the hugely successful Season One 52
episodes, were telecast on DD India, DD National and DD Bihar reaching out to an estimated 58 million viewers across
the country (as per TAM and IRS data), leading to more than 625,000 calls on the national Interactive Voice Response
System (IVRS) dedicated for the serial. The popularity of the teleserial encouraged Doordarshan (DD) to initiate
telecasting of Season One in 14 of its regional channels (dubbing where required). Five regional channels have started
airing the programme while the rest are preparing for the telecast. Season Two, consisting of 78 episodes was
launched on DD National, in April 2015.
The radio episodes of Season One were aired on various channels of All India Radio (AIR) stations, various community
radio stations and a few state level private mobile radio platforms in Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar
Pradesh. While the 155 AIR radio stations reached out to people across the country, the community radio stations
covered an approximate 2.3 million people across the states of Bihar, MP and UP. The findings of the endline research
shows that 83% of households in Madhya Pradesh, and 42% of households in Bihar with radio were listening to the
programme on the AIR channel. With supplemented reach via community radios and mobile radios, the reach of the
programme through this communication channel has been huge. The broadcast of radio episodes of Season Two are
scheduled to start soon, on all stations of AIR.
The IVRS intervention, which reaches out to people across the country, including the media dark areas in Bihar, MP,
Jharkhand and UP, saw a phenomenal response. The national IVRS, which was promoted via television and radio,
received calls from people across the country, answering weekly quiz questions related to the show, sharing their
experiences and thoughts on the serial and the issues it raises, and listening to interesting bytes from celebrities and
title songs. We received more than 625,000 calls in Season One from 150,000 callers, a majority of whom were women
and youth (our primary target audience), telling us that we had reached out to the right demographic population via
this initiative. The mobile vaanis (mobile radio services run by a partner in Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and
Odisha) along with a few community radio stations, broadcast the episodes and also ran discussions around the issues
which the initiative raises. The level of engagement led to many women speaking up about social issues that the show
targets on this platform, a first for most of them.
Keeping in mind that one of our primary audiences for Season Two are the youth, we have been proactively working
towards strengthening our social media strategy to increase the reach and engagement of this initiative on various
platforms. Doordarshan has been given the rights to live-stream the episodes on YouTube. A live tweeting of a press
conference by Sharmila Tagore, Feroz Abbas Khan (director of the serial) and Poonam Muttreja, (Executive Director,
PFI) to promote the serial, got excellent reach on Twitter. We are regularly posting (on facebook) and tweeting to
increase our reach, expand interest on the serial and motivate young people to view the serial on television or on our
YouTube and Vimeo channels. Innovative social media engagement partnerships with organisations like Men Against
Rape and Discrimination (MARD – Farhan Akhtar’s initiative) and Doordarshan have been launched.
Our NGO outreach intervention through 10 partners across Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, is creating Sneha clubs
comprising various stakeholders like ASHAs, ANMs, NGO representatives, peer educators and school teachers They in
turn manage and guide smaller viewers clubs, which meet frequently to watch the serial on television, followed by
discussions around the issues which the episode highlights. A total of 429 such viewers’ groups have been formed.
Master trainers from our NGO partners have been identified and trained in using the communication materials like
games, comic books and illustrations to help facilitate discussion around the issues that the show raises. The master
trainers are training the group leaders of the viewers’ clubs in using these materials for facilitating discussions in
groups.
Programme Website: www.mkbksh.com; Social Media: FB - Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon and Twitter - @MKBKSH_
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Influencer Engagement
Government
Media
Individuals
MoHFW
Prasar
Bharati
Print
Electronic
Celebrities Politicians
Policy
Makers
Recognising the popularity and impact of the programme, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has tied
up with PFI to promote the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) – the national health programme for
adolescents. PFI’s mandate is to promote the scheme among targeted communities by:
Devising a name for the peer educators (PE). The term, Saathiya, has been approved.
Using the teleserial for creating an acceptance of the PEs in communities
Culling out issue based films to be used in:
o Training of the peer educators
o Peer educator led sessions in communities
The programme has been endorsed by numerous celebrities -- film personalities Shabana Azmi, Soha Ali Khan,
Sharmila Tagore and Farhan Akhtar, by corporate leader Naina Lal Kidwai, and eminent policy makers J.P. Nadda
(Union Minister – Health) Nitish Kumar (Chief Minister of Bihar), and Jawhar Sircar (CEO of Prasar Bharti).
A highlight of Season Two is the introduction of popular Bollywood Actor –Director, UN Goodwill Ambassador and
Founder of Men Against Rape and Discrimination (MARD) Farhan Akhtar as the “narrator” in the serial.
Impact
Reach
Over 58 million viewers on TV in Season One (as per TAM and IRS data)
625,000 calls from 150,000 callers on the IVRS in Season One
429 Hum Kuch Bhi Kar Sakte Hain groups that work at women’s empowerment and social change formed across
Bihar and Madhya Pradesh
A growing community of fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter
Programme Website: www.mkbksh.com; Social Media: FB - Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon and Twitter - @MKBKSH_
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Season One Endline Research Findings
The endline research for Season One shows that the audience has connected to the characters and the issues the
initiative talks about. The show has been able to accelerate shifts in societal norms, and in the process has created
powerful characters, through whom messages can be communicated with large audiences for attitudinal shifts in
behaviour across the country and beyond. Some highlights of the endline research are:
Family Planning
Awareness on the ideal age for a woman to have her first child (21-25 years) increased from 38.2% in the baseline
to 45.8% in the endline
Ideal age gap between two children being 2-3 years up from 56.9% to 63.4%
58.7% women from the exposed group compared to 45.7% in the baseline reported that they have discussed the
use of contraception with their spouse
Women who never used any family planning method dropped from 51% to 37.6%
Domestic Violence and Women’s Agency
25.4% compared to 47.8% in the baseline agreed that a woman should be beaten if she goes out without telling her
husband
77.1% compared to 56.7% in the baseline believed that women have the capability to participate in the local
government
Programme Website: www.mkbksh.com; Social Media: FB - Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon and Twitter - @MKBKSH_
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From the IVRS Recordings
“I love watching Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon on television and feel that villages should have healthcare facilities for
women, and roads lead to cities and towns, so that women can travel easily in case they need health support. And that
women should stand up for their rights like Dr Sneha Mathur (protagonist of the serial) does in the teleserial.”
Preity Dwivedi, A student from Allahabad
Human Interest Story
Two friends Priya Meena and Vidya Gwala from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, and regular viewers of the show have now
turned champions to end child marriage in their own
community.
Priya’s parents stopped her schooling when her elder sister ran
away with her boyfriend and got married to him much against
their wishes. Vidya has eight siblings (six sisters and two
brothers) and her parents never sent their daughters to school
after class VII.
Both Priya and Vidya, with the support from the community,
have been able to convince their own families against their early
marriage and need for education. Their persistence and urge to
get educated, led their parents to allow them to go to school. “It
is our right to be educated, No one can stop us! Our role
model is Dr Sneha from Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon. We
wish to become like her,” they say. The girls were felicitated by
actress Sharmila Tagore during the launch of Season Two in
Bhopal.
Contact us:
Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area, Tara Crescent, New Delhi - 110 016, INDIA
Telephone : + 91-11-43894100; Fax : +91-11-43894199
Organization Website : www.populationfoundation.in
Programme Website: www.mkbksh.com; Social Media: FB - Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon and Twitter - @MKBKSH_
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