AudiencScapes

A new television drama, Nivedita, tries to educate viewers about HIV/AIDS as it entertains them. The show’s creators have developed a rich website and celebrity public service announcements to make sure viewers can find out how to protect themselves or get tested.

By Paromita Pain

Nivedita is an Indian television drama about a young woman whose husband is unfaithful to her. So far, a storyline not unlike most soap operas the world over. But what happens next sets Nivedita apart from India’s typical soap opera. Nivedita meets up with her friend, Sushila, who displays all the signs of HIV infection. Nivedita learns that Sushila has contracted it from her husband. She encourages Sushila to go in for testing. At the same time, she realizes that she is also at risk because of her husband’s infidelity. After the episode ends, viewers see a short segment with celebrities endorsing HIV tests, displaying numbers for helplines and offering general precautions.

First broadcast in January of this year, the 26-episode television drama uses the model of “education as entertainment” to tell a story about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in a state with one of India’s highest rates of HIV/AIDS prevalence. Avatar Entertainment, based in Bangalore, produces the serial drama to advocate for human rights and gender equality and to reduce the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. Nivedita is broadcast locally in Andhra Pradesh via India’s public television channel, Doordarshan Kendra Hyderabad, on Sunday evenings in the primetime slot at 7:35 p.m. It is broadcast in Telugu, the official language of Andhra Pradesh.

Nivedita’s Role Models
Avatar Entertainment’s founder James Kramer says the idea behind Nivedita came from the education-oriented soap operas produced in South America, in Latin America, like Simplemente Maria, and India’s own Hum Log (TV_series).

“When I came to India in 2001, I was hoping to rejuvenate the idea of entertainment-education, particularly through soaps. I knew that HIV was going to be one of several important issues; but when I began to see the deep and debilitating impact that AIDS has had on many African countries, the importance of other current issues paled in comparison. Then, in the process of my background research, I ran across a 1997 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, authored by Raman Gangakhedkar, whose findings essentially stated that a married woman’s greatest risk factor for HIV was her husband. I realized, this is a story that has to be told,” said Kramer.

Nivedita was Avatar Entertainment’s first project. Kramer developed Nivedita with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and received technical support from the Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society. The AIDS control society also supplied the telecast fees while the AP (Andhra Pradesh) Department of Women Development and Child Welfare funded a print component of the campaign, a 4-page women’s rights ad in Swati, the Telugu-language weekly magazine.

Pre-programming Research
Informed by behaviour change theory, the program is the culmination of three years of primary and secondary research and pre-testing. To test the program, the production team developed an audiovisual CD based on the storyline for others to watch. Various discussions with groups working in HIV/AIDS, gender discrimination and trafficking in Andhra Pradesh resulted in some minor story adjustments, and the audiovisual was revised accordingly for statewide pre-testing.

Kramer explained: “When Nivedita was envisioned, Andhra Pradesh consistently ranked among the country’s highest HIV prevalence, the highest multi-partner sex rate, the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STI)—which increases the efficiency of HIV transmission—and the highest HIV rates in STI clinics. However, Andhra also had high levels of political commitment to fight HIV—including a very committed Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society—and high numbers of women’s self-help groups, which we see as crucial to equalizing the gender inequality that is HIV’s key accomplice. So we felt that Andhra was the best place to test this intervention concept.”

“The Telugu version of Nivedita was envisioned from the beginning as a pilot project that could be scaled up to other languages and regions, depending on the outcome of the evaluation and its comparative effectiveness vis-à-vis other interventions… Nivedita can be relatively easily dubbed into Tamil, or re-shot in Kannada or other cultural settings,” said Kramer. Kannada is one of India’s major languages.
“Prior to the launch of the program and early in the telecast schedule, we sent e-mails out to many individuals and organizations who are involved in HIV, trafficking and gender justice issues. We made promotional posters available online which could be downloaded, printed and posted in government, nongovernment, or community-based venues to publicize the serial,” says Kramer.

Extending the Show’s Reach Online

Nivedita has a comprehensive website that performs multiple functions. It serves as an entry point for people seeking help. A vulnerable woman or someone helping a vulnerable woman can find the schedule and phone numbers of their nearest HIV-counseling and testing center, family counseling center, HIV-positive people’s network, or free legal aid center. Nivedita’s production team believes the website extends the audience and the shelf life of the program.

The website also features episodes with English subtitles, thus expanding the program’s reach to government, nongovernment, and community based-organizations serving people affected by HIV throughout India and abroad. Other stakeholders, including bilateral agencies like the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, as well as multilateral organizations, are interested in the goals, objectives and outcomes of programs like this. Kramer hopes the site will serve as a repository for documentation about the program, such as how the program has been executed, why and what results can be attributed to it.
Measuring the Impact of TV

The show’s creators are committed to studying the impact of Nivedita. A survey is currently being conducted by the Telugu Network of People Living with HIV-AIDS of roughly 24,000 randomly selected households in Andhra Pradesh to locate Nivedita viewers. Kramer explains that once viewers are identified, the Shreyas Foundation will conduct in-depth interviews with a selection of these viewers so that we can assess and understand the outcomes.

“We promoted the Bhumika Women's Helpline on the serial, and many people have called and asked for information and for help as a result. Many of these callers are from remote villages and from lower socioeconomic classes, which were the intended audiences. Since Nivedita has been [the network’s] number one serial in key demographics several times during its 26-week network run, we are anticipating encouraging results,” says Kramer.

According to the Nivedita website, the show’s creators believe it is making a difference. A statement on the website claims, “All the evidence, whether anecdotal or from systematic focussed group discussions, suggests that Nivedita is able to reduce women's vulnerability to HIV-AIDS.”

Visit http://www.nivedita.org/index.html for more information.




Paromita Pain has been employed with The Hindu Newspaper, Chennai, India since January 2003. She writes for young people on a range of themes, with a special interest in media for young people, health issues, human rights and youth in situations of conflict. She can be reached at paromita.pain@gmail.com

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