New Drama Serial Shabuj Chhaya on BTV

AFTER the grand success of the TV serial Shabuj Shathi that was telecast to create social awareness through entertainment, a new TV serial Shabuj Chhaya, aimed at creating mass interest in availing health and family planning services, has been developed.

With the call for action -'Let's avail health service for our own sake...' Shabuj Chhaya is going to be aired from 21 January 2000 on BTV on each Fridays after the 8 O'clock Bangla News.

The drama is written and directed by the popular playwright Humayun Ahmed and the key performers are Asaduzzaman Noor, Abul Khair, Amirul Haq Chowdhury, Abdul Kader, Shanta Islam, Saleh Ahmed, Nazma Anwar, Mozammel Hossain, Zahid Hassan, Mahfuz Ahmed, Meher Afroze Shaon, Dr Abdul Karim, Dulal and Humayun Faridi.

The serial Shabuj Chhaya has been developed in the backdrop of a village called Shukhanpukur. The drama depicts all the aspects of human emotion, it tells about the vision, mission, happiness and disappointment as well as hope of the people presently involved in the health facilities and health services in Bangladesh. It also carries vivid stories of the family life, health, happiness, dreams of the villagers.

The central character is one middle aged but ever youthful and dedicated doctor Jalal. Under his guidance people see the light of hope. Mothers, children and even the seniors now dream of 'La dolce vita". There is a unique character, paramedic Nasima, who has vowed to render her life for the sake of humanity. She tries to soothe the sorrows and pains of others with her sincerity. There is a compassionate girl, Sharifa, who is unique at her responsibility and consciousness despite her being a girl of a ordinary family. Farooque, a young man, longs for doing at least one good work each day. There is also an interesting character, one beggar who begs riding on a horse. The doctor faces a lot of hurdles in realizing his noble dreams. On the other hand runs the effort of all the villagers together to remove the hindrance. The people, under the shelter of Shabuj Chhaya, dream of a healthy and beautiful tomorrow.

Each episode of this serial is 30 minutes long and deals with a different health related subject. Compulsory Immunization for Children, Vitamin 'A', Diarrhoea, Family Planning for the newly weds, problems of the adolescents, AIDS and many such subjects come up in this story. To imbue more enthusiasm among the audience of Shabuj Chhaya, as an additional attraction, there will be a quiz with each episode of the serial. Viewers giving the correct answer to the quiz will be awarded.

At the initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of Bangladesh and with the financial support from US AID, Shabuj Chhaya production has been supervised by Asiatic Society under the contract with Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP). It may be mentioned here that in 1997, at the initiative of the Ministry, as a part of the strategic communication campaign, Humayun Ahmed produced a TV serial titled Shabuj Shathi involving field workers which played a very successful role in creating social awareness regarding health and family planning. Widely acclaimed by the audience of Bangladesh Television this serial has received international commendations. It is expected that this time this new serial would be all the more successful in creating the specific social awareness and thus bring about desired behavioral changes.