Home ministry to show life in Northeast on Doordarshan

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has taken an initiative to highlight on national television life in the Northeast region.

The ministry has already commissioned a 13-episode programme, with each one highlighting various success stories. These would include how the all-girl band Hurricane Girls came to be and the efforts undertaken by Dr Ilias Ali in persuading rural populace, mostly Muslims, to opt for family planning.

The programme will start rolling out on Doordarshan in the second week of June. If successful, the North East Division in the MHA may look at the possibility of extending it to 26 or 52 episodes. It is also considering airing the programme on private channels.

"Many people are not aware of the success stories in the Northeast. This programme will show how these people are changing life in the region," a senior ministry official told Deccan Herald. The programme also aims to help change the way Northeasterners are treated in other parts of the country.

One of the most awaited episodes is on Dipa Karmakar (23) from Tripura, the first Indian woman gymnast to seal an Olympic berth. The episode is likely to go on air before the Olympic Games in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro in August. The MHA is also planning episodes on boxers Shiva Thapa and Mary Kom, the official said.

Another episode would highlight the efforts taken by Meghali Bora, an  entrepreneur, to train women taxi drivers in the region.

Striking the right note
In the episode featuring the Hurricane Girls, the all-girl rock band from Guwahati, members talk about the journey so far. Talking about their first programme, one of the members recalls how she was initially promised Rs 2,000, but the organisers did not pay anything. Now, she says, they earn a few lakhs for their performance.
DH News Service