Watch Aids message with a Hum Log twist

Forget the finger-wagging warnings about Aids and HIV that health authorities dish out. Now, the message will be brought home through a prim...

Forget the finger-wagging warnings about Aids and HIV that health authorities dish out. Now, the message will be brought home through a prime-time serial on Doordarshan and by a superstar of the calibre of an Amitabh Bachchan or a Dilip Kumar.

The show will start airing in two months’ time, with the Health Ministry drawing inspiration from golden oldie Hum Log, in which each episode would end with a message from Ashok Kumar.

For the campaign, the celebrity will be even more high-profile, say officials. ‘‘All I can say it is an all-time superstar, who has given his commitment,’’ said Dr S.Y. Qureshi, project director, National AIDS Control Organisation.

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In fact, the message may be all over the small screen as Nirman Bhawan plans to write to Balaji Telefilms and other serial-makers and entertainment channels to incorporate at least one HIV-positive character in their popular scripts. This is part of the Ministry’s six-month plan to drive the message home. ‘‘We want to arrest the growth rate of HIV infections in the country. The target is try and almost stop new infections by the end of 2007,’’ said Qureshi.

The TV soap is the centrepiece of the campaign. The storylines will be inspired by real-life characters fighting the disease. NACO is tapping into 23 state-level Aids control organisations and has asked each to submit interesting stories about patients. The best ones will be shortlisted.

The stories will generate hope. ‘‘In a meeting with a network of HIV-positive people, we asked if there were any women whose in-laws stood by them even after the death of their husbands or whose families helped fight the stigma. We were told at least 5 to 10 per cent of infected women fitted that description,’’ said Dr Qureshi.

The stories will be presented in a workshop for TV producers and scriptwriters. While the national network has been involved on account of its vast reach, NACO is not neglecting the more popular private entertainment channels. ‘‘The popular serials having high TRP rates have very flexible scripts. We have written to the channels,’’ said Qureshi. Promised free slots by the I&B Ministry, NACO will also start campaigns to promote condoms and safe sex.