Pakistan - Dukh Sukh Apney

Dukh Sukh Apney was initiated in November 1998 when PCI-Media Impact, Pakistan's Ministry of Population Welfare (MOPW), Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) joined forces to develop a radio soap opera promoting reproductive health. Further financial support is provided by the Italian government.

After three years of development, Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation began airing PCI-Media Impact’s radio program Dukh Sukh Apney (Our Sorrows and Happiness) in February 2001. The show ran for two years and targeted Pakistan's rural audience, which accounts for two-thirds of the country's total population of more than 150 million. The drama is set in the village of Roshanpur and revolves around eleven families, two of which come from or live in a nearby city.

Each week a new episode is broadcast nationally in Urdu, and local versions are broadcast in Balochi, Punjabi, Pushto, and Sindhi, effectively reaching the entire country.

Story Summary: The colorful characters of Afzal, Zubaida, and the other characters in this drama open a window on the options that are available in regard to maternal and child health, education for girls, gender relations, and much more. The 15-minute episodes are broadcast nationally each week (and repeated later in the week) in the Urdu language on the country's public radio station. Versions in local languages are aired at the provincial level simultaneously. The regional versions reflect the local cultures and values.

Themes and Issues Covered: Reproductive health, family planning, maternal and child health, drug abuse, education, and women’s empowerment. In a region where poverty, illiteracy, and lack of communications are common among the vast rural population, the need for information and inspiration is particularly acute.

One of the themes addressed in the program is the clash between traditional and modern norms, and its impact on decision-making around health and family life. Conflicts arise when the 'new way' of doing things clashes with the 'old way.' The story truly mirrors what is happening now in many rural areas in Pakistan.

The primary scriptwriter, Fatima Suriya Bajia, works closely with local producers to ensure that culturally appropriate settings, music, and icons are used in the local versions. Ms. Bajia, a prize-winning writer and well-known media personality, agrees with the methods the local writers use in adapting her Urdu scripts. She says that they see them "as skeletons that they flesh out to look like a Punjabi, a Pathan, a Sindhi, or a Balochi story."

Excerpts from the first scene from episode 62, two men are chatting when one has a violent coughing spell:

Deen Muhammad: The doctor says it’s asthma, and that I need rest.

Karam Deen: Rightly so. Take good care of yourself.

Deen Muhammad: I know, I know. That’s why I’ve decided to marry again. Since my wife died and my daughter got married, there’s no one to take care of me.

Karam Deen: Have a heart! I gather you have plans to marry 14-year-old Asghari. Must I remind you that you’re 60?

Deen Muhammad: And must I remind you that this marriage has the blessings of both her parents and her grandfather? Who are you to object?

Karam Deen: I know the rest of the bargain, too. You plan to marry this underage girl, and you’ll marry off your own underage sister to Asghari’s grandfather.

Deen Muhammad: In my old age, I thought I might cut a deal with Asghari’s grandfather by paying him twelve thousand rupees and a motorbike for her father. In return I get their consent to marry Asghari. Can’t you appreciate how good this
bargain is for me?

Karam Deen: Brother Deen Muhammad, can’t you appreciate how cruel it would be for you to marry young Asghari, who has no idea of her rights? Why spoil her whole life just because she has a greedy father?

Deen Muhammad: I think I’d better go.

Meanwhile, the young woman, Asghari, speaks with her uncle.

Asghari: Uncle Ajmal, for goodness sake, save me!

Ajmal: Asghari, be brave. Everything will be fine.

Asghari: How can it? My wedding dresses have been made. Mother has asked my friends to start visiting our house to celebrate.

Ajmal: Don’t worry. You can’t be married without your consent. I’ve discussed it with the Moulvi Sahib [local priest who performs the marriage rites]. He assured me that according to Islamic tenants, a wedding can only take place when the girl approves of it. It’s also the law of the land that no one can impose his or her will.

Asghari: [sobbing] Uncle, who cares about a girl’s consent? Mother is siding with Papa, and you know Papa. He’ll kill me if I say no.

When Afzal Khan, a powerful landowner, finds out his wife Zubaida has just delivered another daughter, he is devastated.

This is Afzal's seventh child — all girls. Four died soon after birth from lack of pre- and post-natal care. How can he be taken seriously by the villagers with three daughters? Who is going to carry on the family name?

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