Mamta, 9, rides pillion with her groom Ram Singh, 14, after their wedding in Biaora, in India's central Madhya Pradesh state, April 22, 2009. (Raj Patidar/Reuters)

From the network that brought you MTV: Child marriage

Can a TV sensation in modern India change an ancient tradition?

By Jason Overdorf - GlobalPost
Published: May 24, 2009 09:46 ET
Updated: June 10, 2009 09:32 ET

NEW DELHI — Defying all the conventional wisdom about Indian television viewers — notorious for dogged allegiance to campy soap operas that pitted idealized brides against scheming mothers-in-law — the hottest show on TV today is a progressive, heartwarming drama about a plucky little girl caught up in an illegal child marriage.

Called Balika Vadhu, or “Child Bride,” and set in rural Rajasthan, where marrying off daughters before they hit puberty is still a common practice, the show has caught the imagination of urban viewers across the board and throughout India, ushering in a revolution of sorts in cable television programming.

It has helped Colors, an upstart channel launched by Viacom and Network18 in July last year, supplant Rupert Murdoch's Star Plus as the most-watched Indian television network — a title Star Plus held for nine years running. And it has unleashed a new wave of progressive programming devoted to issues facing India's “distressed daughters.”

“What started out as a 0.8 rating on Balika took us about 13 weeks to get to 8,” said Rajesh Kamat, Colors' chief executive officer. That means 8 percent of the entire television audience is watching the show. “Typically an episode that peaks for us would touch about 17 million people,” Kamat said. “If you were to take a monthly average, it would be in the 72 million zone.”

Development workers are pleased, but skeptical about the impact such shows can have from a cable television platform that doesn't reach the poor people depicted on screen. “In the rural population very few people are watching this kind of serial,” said Sharmistha Basu, a consultant at New Delhi's International Center for Research on Women.

“Hardly any people have a television set, and especially not a channel like Colors that comes only on cable or dish TV. But in the rural-urban transition zone, people are watching it, and it is starting a dialogue about child marriage. If migrant laborers from rural areas are coming to work in these areas, they can take back those words to their villages.”

Comments:

1 Comments.

Login or Register to post comments

Posted by Branker on July 25, 2009 10:30 ET

"hit puberty is still a common practice"
Wow that statement is extremely derogatory and completely wrong. While the practice still exists, it's relegated to rural areas. It's not a common practice anymore except amongst the poorer more isolated areas. It's illegal against Indian law and lots of have campaigns over the last 20 years have seen to a steep decrease in the idea.

Your sensationalizing a problem, that while still existent, isn't as big as most would love to believe. Sweeping generalizations through the article riddle it with inaccuracies. The show sounds kinda dumb, as in India people who watch those kind of programs are the more affluent and modern and generally don't like to see things that remind them of the plight of the poorer. That's not meant in a bad way, just that they would rather not think about certain issues - in the same way that Americans don't want to be reminded about Iraq, and Germans of the Nazi movement.

MTV is mostly watched by Youth in India, we're talking about the high school and college aged kids, but it's not as popular there as another called VTV which is very popular in Asia. MTV's stranglehold is long attached to the Western appeal, and runs ads for big box brands like Pizza Hut. So people who watch MTV won't likely want to watch a show about a "plucky little girl caught up in illegal marriage", they'd rather watch the OC or whatever tripe Viacom serves up to American youth these days. Then there's also a bracket that prefer to watch.

Recent on India :

How can 39 million buffalo be wrong?

Jason Overdorf - India - November 19, 2009 06:30 ET

Indian farmers discover the beauty of mozzarella.

Silicon Sweatshops: A promising model

Jonathan Adams and Kathleen E. McLaughlin - China and its neighbors - November 18, 2009 06:54 ET

There's no easy way to police supply chains in Asia. But one US high-tech firm and its Taiwan supplier are taking a creative approach that might just work.

Special report: Silicon Sweatshops

Jonathan Adams and Kathleen E. McLaughlin - China and its neighbors - November 17, 2009 15:05 ET

Despite strict "codes of conduct," labor rights violations are the norm at factories making the world's favorite high-tech gadgets.

What do you think about Silicon Sweatshops?

News Desk - China and its neighbors - November 17, 2009 15:04 ET

Are high-tech supply chains in Asia good business or exploitation? You decide.

Silicon Sweatshops: Shattered dreams

Jonathan Adams - China and its neighbors - November 17, 2009 07:24 ET

Migrant workers making gadgets at Taiwan's high-tech parks sign deals that make them modern-day indentured servants.

Silicon Sweatshops: The China connection

Kathleen E. McLaughlin and Jonathan Adams - China and its neighbors - November 17, 2009 07:22 ET

For migrant workers, an electronics factory job can be a ticket into China's booming middle class. But for many, it turns into a nightmare of poor working conditions and indifferent bosses.

Silicon Sweatshops: Disposable workforce

Jonathan Adams - China and its neighbors - November 17, 2009 07:22 ET

Laid-off Taiwanese workers accuse their firm of violating industry codes even when times were good.

On Location: Haryana — India's looming food crisis

Jason Overdorf - India - November 12, 2009 16:45 ET

Can the "Lungs of Bombay" be given space to breathe?

Sara Stefanini - Global Green - November 12, 2009 13:33 ET

Called upon to plant trees, Mumbaikars join the historic fight to preserve Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

It's not about the monks

Jason Overdorf - India - November 9, 2009 22:15 ET

China's saber rattling sends India into a funk — by design.

The asses of New Delhi

Jason Overdorf - India - November 5, 2009 05:41 ET

With a year to go before hosting the Commonwealth Games, Delhi targets the poor. Its donkeys, too.

Mt. Everest's "other guy"

Jason Overdorf - India - November 1, 2009 09:47 ET

In the hills surrounding Darjeeling, West Bengal, the people worship second place.

In India, C-sections are in the stars

Mridu Khullar - India - October 31, 2009 06:00 ET

When's that baby due? The astrologer knows.

Interview: India's Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna

Saritha Rai - India - October 29, 2009 15:37 ET

What does a rising power think about China, Obama, the Taliban, Pakistan, Afghanistan and more?

Water woes: Too much of a good thing

Ann Tornkvist - India - October 25, 2009 08:19 ET

Photo essay: India is suffering its worst drought in 20 years. But not everywhere.

China, China everywhere

Thomas Mucha - Commerce - October 24, 2009 08:49 ET

We're all living in China's world now. How's your Mandarin?

CEO pay in India: "Vulgar and indecent"

Saritha Rai - India - October 21, 2009 05:49 ET

What's Hindi for fat cat?

In India, plagiarism is on the rise

Shailaja Neelakantan - India - October 18, 2009 08:30 ET

Publish, perish or pilfer?

India: The next Detroit?

Saritha Rai - India - October 16, 2009 15:17 ET

Automakers worldwide ramp up production on the subcontinent.