Prakriti TV Serial - Doordarshan DD National (DD1)

Prakriti – Aj Ki Naari was a discussion and entertainment program that ran on DD Metro. The show was produced by the India Today group. The group ran the Aaj Tak news channel and primarily produced news and current affairs programming. The show marked the first time the group dabbled in general entertainment genre. Koel Purie served as the producer and also as a star on the show. G. Krishnan served as the Director. The show used to air on weekdays at the afternoon primetime slot of 2:35 pm. It ran for a brief time during 1998 – 99. The show aired at the time when there weren’t a lot of television shows aimed at women. Television shows were being created keeping in mind the entire family who’ll be watching. As such, the show was probably one of the first one’s that was explicitly created for women. Keeping in mind the channel and its theme, the show was created keeping in mind the urban women who lived in metros and cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, etc. The format of the show was debate and discussion where participants engaged with each other regarding various issues. The show was set around three women of the same family – a girl, her mother and her grandmother. This was used to make it look like a family is engaged in a discussion. All three women represented the different generations they belonged to and the values they represent. The women discussed on issues that affected the urban women – marriages, dowry, employment and general life. All of them contributed their thoughts regarding these issues and debated one another. The USP of the show was its characters. By having women from three different generations, the show brought together opinions from all the generations and did not leave anyone out. As such, each woman could relate to it and understand what others had to say. The only downside was the exclusive catering to urban women. The show could’ve been bigger had it explored the problems plaguing the women of rural India. However, the show was the pioneer in bringing attention to the issues of modern and urban women. The show allowed them a space to talk about themselves in a free and fair manner and understand themselves better. Although the show is 20 years old, it is still relevant today, and people can still learn a lot from it.