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  NCSC Award - Left to right Aamir Khan, Star India CEO Uday Shankar and NCSC Vice Chairma Raj Kumar Verka.
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  NCSC Award - Left to right NCSC Vice CHairman Raj Kumar Verka, Star India Ceo Uday Shankar, Aamir Khan

Television’s most influential show Satyamev Jayate on Thursday received a rare national recognition with the country's National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) felicitating the enablers of the show who helped create awareness against social discrimination through a pioneering TV program.

The Commission honoured Star India CEO Uday Shankar and Aamir Khan in recognition of their remarkable contribution in highlighting and helping the cause of eradicating ‘untouchability’ - a cruel reminder of the regressive caste system. Shankar and Aamir each received a special award at a function held to mark the International Valmiki Day in New Delhi.

Satyamev Jayate was a landmark show in Indian television that set new benchmarks from the very first episode earlier this year. Star India, which was instrumental in helping conceive the show, demonstrated how TV can be an effective tool to influence social change and people's empowerment.During its 13-week run, the show reached a third of India's population, airing simultaneously in multiple languages, and became the most-talked about show then. It questioned social mores, helped shape mindsets and left an imprint on the minds of people with compelling tales from everyday life.

“Television is not just a source of entertainment and with Satyamev Jayate we proved that it also has the power to contribute towards the growth of a nation and change the mindsets of people. It’s an honour to be felicitated by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and I am thankful for the prestigious award,” Mr. Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India,said. Through Satyamev Jayate, STAR helped ignite a debate in this nation of billion plus people, engaging them with the common theme of working for a better tomorrow. It received a staggering 1.2 billion responses through several platforms from more than 5,000 cities in 165 countries.

“Satyamev Jayate was an initiative to offer a public platform to issues that concern all Indians. Today, I feel glad that after the show a lot of people, including the youth of India, have come forward and expressed their views. It was a team effort and I am also grateful to Mr. Uday Shankar for giving a medium to reach out to the masses, “Mr. Aamir Khan said.

Home Minister Mr. Sushil Kumar Shinde, Social, Justice and Empowerment Minister Mr. Mukul Wasnik, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ms. Ambika Soni, Chief Minister of Delhi Ms. Shiela Dixit, NCSC Chairman Mr. P.L. Punia and other eminent political and civil society leaders, who have championed the cause of social equality, also attended the awards function.

Mr. P L Punia, Chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Castes said, “Star India’s Satyamev Jayate showed a new ray of hope to the underprivileged people of our country. It’s time for all of us to join hands and fight for equality.”

Ms. Sheila Dixit, Chief Minister of Delhi, lauded Star India for conceptualizing ‘Satyamev Jayate’ and giving people a platform to talk about their struggles.

“It’s my request to Mr. Uday Shankar to repeat the show as I would want the people of this country to witness the pain again and stand against it as one team,” Ms. Dixit said.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ms. Ambika Soni said, “Star India and Aamir Khan gave a new meaning to life through the show and brought out the real picture of our nation. They also made it a point to reach out to a larger audience and recorded the episodes in different regional languages and telecast it on national television.”

Star has always considered television to be a powerful medium that is essential for bringing about social change. As an industry leader, it became imperative for Star to drive this change. Satyamev Jayate was a step that has laid the foundation for several such initiatives in future as well.