Alongside stories of women's empowerment and women breaking the glass ceiling, India is a country where female feticide is actually skewing male-female population ratios, and could eventually lead to a demographic crisis.
Against this scenario, a new trend is worth noting and celebrating. After years of mother-in-law vs. daughter-in-law power-struggle stories, there is now a significant shift in soap operas broadcast in Hindi, the national language. A flood of new serials are celebrating the daughter. Almost every other soap is now about daughters, sisters and young brides finding romance in their marriages. And "girl child" issues are in.
Reflecting another trend of TV channels engaging in branded socially responsible programs is the Star Laadli program (Star being the channel, and Laadli meaning "darling daughter" ). The Star channel hosts the soap called "Laadli." See the storyline here.
Star has now tied up with an NGO to spread the cause of the girl child, in this the "girl child week."
Read more about the missing girl child issue in India and a UNICEF initiative here.
Meanwhile another serial that takes up the issue of child marriages, "Balika Badhu" (child bride) holds viewers enthralled.Mythili Chandrasekar is executive planning director at JWT India.
