The ABC of Law

In January 2007, CHRI received a grant from the Canadian High Commission to work on a project on access to justice. We decided to develop a radio programme on good policing and citizen’s rights vis-à-vis the police; a storybook for children (5 yrs – 7 yrs) and complementing CD ROMS with interactive learning techniques.

Getting started

CHRI had considerable experience in developing products for the radio. In the past we have developed a radio series of 13 episodes on Right to Information. We were confident of developing this one, keeping in mind the attitudes, listening habits and needs of both rural and urban listeners. First and foremost, as an exercise, it was important for us to identify the issues and the aspects to be covered in the series. And for this it was necessary to study the issues concerning the rural and urban set ups.

Once that was achieved through research and workshops, we had to simplify these issues into digestible information. It was a learning exercise for us to discover that one of the most troubling issues is the recording of the First Information Report (FIR) by the police. The very first formal police-public interaction happens when the First Information Report gets lodged with the police by the complainant. It was observed that most police stations in rural India charge a fixed amount for lodging the FIR; they generally do not file a complaint instantly; and if at all they do write, never is a copy of the FIR handed over to the complainant. Another common problem found was that most of the times the police was under political pressure, favoured the rich and powerful and generally ignored the vulnerable section of the society. With these key concerns in mind, we decided to set them against a story plot for the radio series.

Structuring the plot

The story revolves around the inhabitants of a village who face different problems with the police in each episode. Not knowing what to do, when the police out rightly refuses to file an FIR or when the rich and powerful of the village harass the weaker sections, they run to Mr Bhan – a wise man who knows the law and is ready to share information and motivate fellow villagers. Bhan would educate people about their rights and duties and inspire them to stand up for themselves. By the end of the episode, a group of people are prepared to fight for their rights and would determine to make a difference to the society by actively encouraging many more. In the end, CHRI’s postal and e-mail address is announced for listeners to reach out to us with queries and suggestions. The last two episodes announce the names of people who wrote in and also address their queries with some interesting info.

Other Products

Along with the radio episodes, we are also developing a basic level storybook for young children (5 yrs – 7 yrs). This book is based on popular fairy tales with a moral. We have picked up on fundamental rights that can be taught via the story.

A family of three – mummy, papa and baby bear sit together and the mother tells a story with a message on a fundamental right. They are joined by baby bear’s close friend chubby puppy and kitten and they all have a discussion at the end of the story. For instance, the story of ugly duckling demonstrates discrimination and inequality, prejudice and apathy. The duckling was not liked by friends and teased for his appearance. His friends would not play with him and treat him differently.

After the story finishes, the bears have a discussion that how the constitution guarantees them of their rights and any one in the position of the duckling can avail his/her rights. In addition, the book also consists of inspiring quotes from great leaders to inculcate a feeling of national integration and patriotism in the children.

The last section of the book is an activity segment where children are reminded of what they’ve just learnt. Another interesting product that we are developing is the CD ROM with highlights of the storybook. The CD ROM ensures a quick recap of the points addressed in the storybook. CHRI endeavours to bring out more of such informational material in the future. We are thankful to Canadian High Commission for supporting the project.