Once every eagerly anticipated fortnight, children in classes VI-VII from several schools in Pune gather together to watch socially relevant documentaries dealing with issues such as child labour, women’s empowerment, water harvesting, racial bias, communal disharmony and so on. The screening is followed by an intense discussion led by Dr Satish Rajmachikar, the man behind this unique movement to create awareness and understanding among children and youth about the many problems confronting the contemporary world. “It’s an effort to sensitise students so they transform into responsible citizens,” says this 64-year-old retired medical practitioner, who moved from Mumbai to Pune four years ago to engage in socially purposive volunteerism.

An alumnus of King George School (1962) and the Government Dental College, Mumbai, Rajmachikar practised dentistry for 34 years before calling it a day “to do something of value for the young people of India”. “I felt the best way to educate youth beyond academic curriculums would be by combining my interest and involvement with popular cinema and television with socio-economic education,” says Rajmachikar who during the course of a parallel career in Mumbai, produced two Marathi feature films Chimanrao Gundyabhau (1979) and Raosaheb (1985). He also produced and directed several television serials.

Under the aegis of an NGO christened Bioscope, Rajmachikar is currently working with ten schools run by the Pune Municipal Corporation as also several private schools, staging screening-cum-discussion sessions. He has also extended them to the Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT), Marathwada Mitramandal College of Commerce and Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce. Moreover the MIT School of Management, Pune has made these screenings part of its curriculum for first-year BBA and MBA students.

Rajmachikar entertains no doubt that his message documentaries serve a valuable purpose. “Due to technological advancement, globalisation and the huge inflow of money, our social psyche has undergone a complete transformation. The gap between the rich and poor has widened. In addition, there is the heavy burden of local and state bureaucracies weighing on everyone’s shoulders. Gen Next has to tackle all these complex issues. I am trying to equip young people to find solutions to these problems,” he explains.

Next on this indefatigable educator’s agenda is to take his collection of documentaries and films to village India. “I plan to exhibit films on the girl child with the objective of bringing about a change in attitudes towards women and girl children in rural India. A sustained campaign on this important issue is long overdue,” says this reformer.

Wind in your sails!

Huned Contractor (Pune)