Rustic sights and sounds in an atmosphere charged with creativity, contrasted sharply with the staid, modern workshop setting in the folk media workshop held at IMDUP, Lucknow in August 2000. Participants from 65 folk troupes were at their innovative best during the two-day workshop under the guidance of a dedicated team of trainers from Braj Lok Madhuri – an agency reputed for training in traditional folk forms.

This was the second workshop for training folk troupes supported by SIFPSA. The first workshop, held in February 1999, trained 34 troupes in four popular folk forms - Nautanki (folk theatre), Puppetry, Qawwali (popular urdu poetry) and Alha-Birha. Magic, with its ability to captivate audiences, was added as the fifth medium in this phase.

To ensure that the messages disseminated through folk media were clear and consistent, three scripts for each folk form were written by experts. The same experts then trained troupes on performing these scripts. Only troupes with established credentials and registered with the Song and Drama Division or the UP Information Department were selected to maintain standards of quality.

The scripts used the theme of ‘Aao Batein Karen’ (Come, let’s talk) with Tota-Maina as the creative platform for synergy with the multi-media campaign. The campaign’s attempt to initiate a dialogue on a private subject like family planning lends itself well to being conveyed through folk performances as the performers have the opportunity to interact face-to-face with the audience.

Detailed schedules for performances in villages were developed by SIFPSA in consultation with NGOs. Folk forms were chosen as per local demand and the troupes sent out to the districts as per the programme.

SIFPSA partners in the private sector, primarily NGOs and the milk co-operatives, played an important role in the implementation of the folk media campaign. They were responsible for publicizing the programme in advance as well as making arrangements locally like setting up the stage, ensuring proper lighting, providing logistic support to the troupes and making payments to them. Monitoring of performances is done by frontline NGO & dairy workers as well as their supervisors who keep a close watch on the quality and the number of performances being held and report to SIFPSA on a standardized format.

The response to folk performances has been overwhelming. Family planning and reproductive health messages carefully woven into the scripts with a measure of entertainment to draw crowds and hold the attention of the audience have proved popular. Crowds ranging from 200 to 2000 watched the performances with rapt attention. Partner NGOs have reported an increase in queries on family planning. The community health worker has gained popularity in the villages wherever she was called on stage and recognized for her efforts.

Three phases of the folk media campaign have been successfully completed. Messages related to child immunization, safe delivery practices, educating the girl child have been added in the later performances. More than 3500 performances in villages in 14 districts have carried these messages to millions making this perhaps the largest folk media campaign in the country.