Dilli Ka Babu

Travails of truth
There will be relief on many faces in government this week as Aamir Khan’s tv show Satyamev Jayate goes off air after a tumultuous 13-week run. In this span, the series enjoyed unprecedented impact (brushing aside the silly TRP controversy), created a buzz far beyond the confines of the “idiot box” and may even have set a benchmark for future satellite fare.

Such has been the show’s impact that babus and netas are both still trying to understand what made it tick. Or, more concisely, what goes on inside the mind of Uday Shankar, Star’s CEO and the man who created the concept. The sarkar and its multiple departments squirmed when facing the unflattering image of reality held up by the mirror-like programme.
It is clear that host Aamir Khan (it was Uday’s brainwave to persuade the socially-conscious Bollywood star to risk “descending” to the small screen) learnt from the mistakes of Anna Hazare. But it was India Against Corruption’s success at Jantar Mantar that was the basis for the show. Each episode in the series dwelt on a specific social issue and brought a welter of debate, setting off minor temblors in each of the corresponding ministries and departments.
For the past 12 Mondays babus were often scrambling to defend their policies or statistics (or seek Aamir’s advice!). Health secretary P.K. Pradhan may have felt akin to being pinned to the mat (the Medical Council certainly did!) when the episodes on female foeticide, medical malpractices and child sexual abuse created a storm. After all it’s not often that a TV host (even if it’s Aamir) gets invited to consult with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and high-powered babus in the PMO on human scavenging, or address a parliamentary committee on laws solely on the strength of his TV show! Little wonder babus weren’t quite sure how to respond to this new form of public pressure!
Mr Shankar’s brainchild has clearly bulldozed its way into the social consciousness of the nation. For my favourite tribesmen, what confuses them about Star’s Shankar is that he does not fall into any stereotype of an “activist” or troublemaker.
A man who does not even smoke and always follows traffic rules is not normally expected to rock the establishment’s boat. But television, as we know, is a very different beast, and Mr Shankar seems to know how to wield it as a weapon of change. We understand that babus in the information and broadcasting ministry are also wringing their hands about the impact of Satyamev Jayate. Clearly, they think that even they can spark change too.
So while the public may welcome another season of Satyamev Jayate, some netas and babus may not be among them. After all there’s just so much reality one can bear.