Mehendi didi and Dr Anita are providing very important information and tips regarding safe delivery and my child’s upbringing. No doubt, Mehendi didi is a very important member of my family now,” says four-month pregnant Subhashini.
She is wife of a farmer living in Panna district of Madhya Pradesh. Similar stories are pouring in from Khandwa, Mandsaur, Jhabua, Rewa, Betul, Rajharh and many other districts of Madhya Pradesh. BBC Media Action’s ambitious radio programme ‘Khirki Mehndiwali’ has developed a wide range of listenership in Madhya Pradesh. The 15-minute radio programme airing on 9 channels of AIR and 11 community radio stations in MP is the journey of Mehendi from third and unwanted daughter of a poor backward family from rural MP to an empowered woman.
Technically, a show with in a show format, Khirki Mehndiwali presents a set of familiar problems faced by people in their daily lives and suggests ways to get around them. Highlighting the context of existing social circumstances, the show effectively delivers quality healthcare information in an entertaining way to rural Indian women.
Every year in Madhya Pradesh, 59 out of 1000 children continue to die before they reach the age of one. Since the past eight years, MP has the worst Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in the country. The fact is that a lot of infant deaths can be prevented right at home through simple actions that every woman can take.
“With a firm belief that good communication has the power to bring change, we created an appealing and recognizable story that shows the value of doing so. Each episode contains one specific message on maternal and child health. In addition it addresses deep-rooted social norms that affect health status such as age at marriage, age at first pregnancy, relationship between mothers and daughters in law etc,” says Siddhartha Swarup, Director, Family Health Projects, BBC Media Action.
Chief Minister of MP Shivraj Singh Chouhan has welcomed the idea with open arms and urged the audience, not only to listen to ‘Khidki Mehndiwali’ but also learn and benefit from it.
Various Government departments like ICDS, Health, School Education etc. have issued letters in support of ‘Khirki Mehndiwali’, encouraging district and block level officials to contribute towards mobilising the community and increasing listenership.
There is also a weekly contest associated with the show, where every week, three listeners are winning a trip to the State Capital Bhopal and will get felicitated once the series comes to completion. Total 33 winners will be felicitated and invited to Bhopal and will be collectively recognised as the member of “Mehendi Mitra Mandali.