News Broadcasting
BBC Hindi to kick off 2-week series on Aids
MUMBAI: The BBC Hindi Service has announced the launch of a high impact two-week series on the issue of HIV/Aids starting this Sunday (16 November).
The series will kick off with Talking Point, a 30-minute discussion programme featuring JJ Hospital Mumbai’s head of Department of Medicine Dr Alaka Deshpande, and a HIV positive man Rajendra Shirke.
Everyday, the series will debate and provide information about what is now the fourth biggest killer in the world, leading up to World Aids Day 1 December.
A company release states, that Aids series is a part of the BBC World Service season featuring a range of broadcasts from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The season is the first time the entire BBC World Service – including the Hindi programmes, the 42 language services and English – have joined forces to address one subject.
BBC Hindi Service head Achala Sharma is quoted in the release as saying, “India has over 4.5 million people with HIV/Aids but due to ignorance and inhibitions, the country hasn’t fully grasped the size of its huge health problem, or the implications. Our series will challenge the traditional taboos around talking about sex. It will give our listeners straightforward information about HIV/Aids. We’ll also encourage discussion about important issues such as safe sex and attitudes to those living with the virus.”
The issues addressed in BBC Hindi series will include:
* Women and Aids: the plight of rural women with little knowledge of the disease who often become its unsuspecting victims
* Sex workers: often claimed to spread the disease, how are they responding to the threat of the virus?
* Condoms: their availability and people’s attitude towards buying, selling and using them
* Drug companies: Indian anti-retroviral drug manufacturers such as Cipla and the cost of drug therapy
* Doctors: their dilemma in dealing openly with HIV/Aids cases
* ‘Quacks’: the boom in business for those promising desperate people a ‘cure’
* Homosexuals: more prone to the virus, still stigmatised and not accepted by society
* Children: the situation of HIV/Aids children who are often ostracised
* Migrant labourers: the lack of awareness among migrant labourers who are vulnerable to the disease
* Testimonials : HIV positive people from different regions highlighting the social stigma and apathy they face.
The series will end with a second Talking Point with health minister Sushma Swaraj on 30 November.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
