At a time when every citizen has the right to know what the Government has been doing for the welfare of the State, people are not aware of the developmental works undertaken by the various departments. This is because the general people are not getting enough scope these days to watch the documentaries made by the Government departments, depicting different developmental works carried out by them, as well as various welfare schemes for the masses.

Earlier, these documentaries, made with a sound budget, were shown in cinema halls across the State just before the regular screening of films, but the closure of many theatres has come as a stumbling block to this information campaign. Moreover, till some years back, before its abrupt discontinuation, there was a Government initiative of showing these documentaries in rural areas through mobile units – in fact, they were very much popular among the masses as Chayabazi.

Now that a major chunk of the population has access to television, thanks to the electronic media boom, the State Directorate of Information and Public Relations has taken a unique step to showcase different developmental works by various Government departments through a serial on Doordarshan. Telecast at 6:30 pm every Saturday on Guwahati Doordarshan, this serial, titled Rupahi Asom Jonaki Batere, has been directed by Bobbeeta Sarma, a popular actress who has shown her creative talent with her immensely popular serial Bideshat Apon Manuh, that revolves around the stories and interviews of successful Assamese expatriates around the world.

Traversing the length and breadth of Assam, Bobbeeta has also incorporated interviews of a cross section of people in the serial to find out how they have been benefiting from the numerous welfare schemes of the Government. While various ministers and officials present the achievements of their respective departments, the highlight of the serial is that Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, being the head of the State, himself comes before the camera to talk about the strides Assam has made on the path to development. In the serial, the Chief Minister also answers various questions of the public – asked through letters – regarding their different wants and problems, giving the general people a chance to be part of the developmental process. This has made the serial immensely popular among the masses.

In different episodes of the serial, which has its title song sung by Voice of India fame Debojit Saha and popular actor Jatin Bora performing in the song sequences that breathtakingly portray the natural beauty of the land, as well as its colourful people and cultural heritage, rightly focusses on key departments like home, industry, tourism, etc. Rupahi Asom Jonaki Batere has been successful in creating awareness against extremism, that comes as a hurdle in the path of development, and shows the Government’s resolve to fight the menace, even as people from every walk of life join hands against the killings, kidnappings, bomb blasts, etc, perpetrated by the extremists.

In the episodes on tourism, the serial beautifully depicts the tourist attractions like the Kaziranga National Park, Ahom relics of Sivasagar, Satra culture of Majuli, Barpeta and other places, the ruins of Madan Kamdev, the Kamakhya Temple, etc, besides highlighting the various facilities available for tourists, as also different schemes to upgrade the infrastructure. In interviews with Tourism Minister Rockybul Hussain and the department’s Secretary Himangshu Sekhar Das, they talk about various Government initiatives to tap the tourism potential of the state.

Then again, the cameras of Rupahi Asom Jonaki Batere pan into the jails of Assam to show how the inmates live like a huge family within the four walls, under the watchful eyes of security men. The serial also shows how the jail officials, keeping in mind the great saying ‘Hate sin, not the sinner’, mingle with these inmates in a bid to bring them to the right path and engage them in different vocational works, so that they can lead a normal life in society once they complete their jail terms. The serial also captures various activities inside the jails like cultural and religious programmes – with spontaneous participation from jail inmates, officials and workers alike.

This serial also reflects on the traditional folk music and dance, colourful fabrics and attires, different traditional sports and games of the land, etc, and assesses various milestones in Assam like the National Games, Gyanjyoti Scheme, NREGA Scheme and old-age pension scheme, besides highlighting the developmental activities carried out in the fields of agriculture, industry, rural development, etc. A number of distinguished personalties from various walks of life like Union Minister Bijoy Krishna Handique, Kanaksen Deka, Dr Nagen Saikia, Dhirendranath Chakravarty, Harekrishna Deka, Pranjal Saikia, Nirupama Borgohain, etc, have also featured in the serial, commenting on different aspects of the State’s development.

The serial has screenplay by Jimoni Choudhury, with Mrinmoy Baishya assisting Bobbeeta in direction. Manash Hazarika is in charge of the music of Rupahi Asom Jonaki Batere. This serial has indeed been doing a commendable job by focusing on the Government’s achievements, as well as suggesting measures for improvement while opening the window of knowledge to the rural folk.

Kamal Kr Bhagawati