Revisiting the Women’s Movement in India (1970s–80s) Through the Women’s Programme

Abstract

The article charts the evolution of Ghar Parivar or Home and Family (1972-mid1980s) and Ghar Bahar or Home and Outside (1979- late 1980s) two early women’s programmes, from being classified ‘programme for minority’ in TV listings to becoming significant counter-public spheres that effectively mounted national discussions from a ‘women’s perspective’. A historic and contentious Ghar Bahar episode is examined as a media event, including an interview with a session’s judge about the unprecedented verdict in a dowry murder case that served as national testimony and led to significant legal reforms. The final section investigates how, despite rising from its marginal position to prime-time programming in the early 1980s, the women’s programme was co-opted by the state, which now closely monitored women’s issues and appropriated its distinct realist aesthetics to project a progressive image and media autonomy. Given the loss of original episodes, this case study employs textual historicism, relying on interviews, legal rulings, media reports, and a few available fragments of the women’s programme to reconstruct the significance of women’s shows and women producers in early Indian television.