Meena (character)

Meena (Bengali: মীনা) is a fictional character who stars in the South Asian children's television show Meena.^[1][2][3][4] The show has been broadcast in languages such as Bengali, English, Hindi, Nepali and Urdu. The lead character, Meena educates the children of South Asia on issues of gender, health, and social inequality through her stories in comic books, animated films, and radio series (affiliated with the BBC). The secondary characters of her stories include her brother Raju, and her pet parrot Mithu. Her audience goes on her adventures as she attempts to get an education, have an equal share of food as Raju, and learns about the HIV virus. All of her stories advocate change in social and cultural practices.

Her popularity is due to her not being closely bound to just one country or culture of South Asia, but uniting the common characteristics of them all. Her creation is partly due to the UNICEF, an organization that supports the growing educational awareness of South Asia through Meena and her stories. [Edited by: Abdullah, Bangladesh]

Episodes

There are 33 Meena episodes.^[5]

Count Your Chickens

(Bengali Title: সব মুরগী আছে?/Translation: Are All The Chickens There?) Meena wishes to go to school however her parents see no purpose because she is a girl. To overcome this problem, Meena enlists the help of her parrot, Mithu, who memorises the school lesson and relays it to her after class. As a result, Meena learns how to count in twos. She counts her family's chickens and realises that one of the chickens is missing. It turns out that a thief has stolen the chicken. The villagers chase the thief and are able to recover the chicken. As a result of this incident, Meena's parents realise the value of education and allow her to attend school along with her brother, Raju.^[6]

Dividing the Mango

(Bengali Title: Intelligent Meena) The episode starts with Meena's mother feeding her younger brother, Raju, a bigger portion than Meena because he is a boy. Meena believes this is unfair so she and Raju switch places for a day to see what it is like. Raju has to do all of Meena's household chores such as feeding the chickens, sweeping the floors and drawing water. Meena has to do Raju's chores however there is less work to do and Meena spends a lot of the day playing. Raju comes home at the end of the day and tells his parents how difficult it was to do all of Meena's chores. The episode ends with both Raju and Meena receiving the same meal portions.^[7]

Will Meena Leave School?

(Bengali Title: মীনা কি স্কুল ছেড়ে দেবে/Translation: Will Meena Leave School). Meena's father is worried because the family have run out of money. Hence Meena and the father have to go to the shopkeeper to get a loan of rice. The shopkeeper tries to cheat them by increasing the amount of the debt however Meena stops him due to her ability to read. Meanwhile, the mother is looking for ways to earn money. The school teacher visits their home and tells the mother that she can work from home. The family buy a cow whose milk they can sell, as well as a bike so the father can sell the milk in the village. The shopkeeper tells them that if the family cannot repay the debt, then he will take the cow, calf and Mithu. The father gets a fever so he is unable to sell the milk in the village. Meena and Raju go instead however their bike crashes which delays their ability to repay the debt to the shopkeeper. Mithu carries the money back home instead so that the debt is repaid in time.

Who's Afraid of the Bully?

Meena and her friends get together to solve the problem of bullies.^[8]

Saving a Life

Meena saves baby Rani when she has diarrhea

Meena's Three Wishes

Meena tackles the issues of hygiene and sanitation

Say No to Dowry

Meena and her family question the practice of dowry

Too Young to Marry

Can Meena help her cousin who is being married before the legal age?

Take Care of Girls

Girls and boys have an equal right to health care

I Love School

A good teacher makes all the difference

It's Got to Be a Boy!

Meena teaches her uncle to welcome the birth of girls and boys equally

Meena in the City

Meena experiences the life of a domestic child worker

AIDS: A Girl's Story

Meena helps challenge stigma and some myths about HIV/AIDS

Learning to Love

Children need stimulation, care and play from an early age, and fathers' involvement in their development is important

Strangers in the Village

Coping with differences and peace building in conflict situations

Reaching Out

Community care and support for people living with HIV and AIDS

Meena and Her Friend

Iodine deficiency disorders and support for children suffering from IDD

It Could Happen to Anyone

Keeping children safe from accidents, including road accidents among adolescents

The Girls Came Back

Trafficking and sexual exploitation of girls

When Meena was Born

Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and complementary feeding along with breast milk after that

When Meena was a Little Girl

Low birth weight among infants and its prevention

Seeing in the Dark

Vitamin A deficiency and prevention

Health in your Hands

The importance of hand washing to be healthy

Safe from Worms

Worm infestation and prevention

Fair Play for Girls

Girls' right to play and recreation

Baby Rani's Four Visits

The importance of EPI (immunization)

We Love Books

The need for quality learning materials for education

Learning with Meena

The importance of educating girls

School First, Marriage Later

Prevention of early marriage and retention of older girls in school

Teacher Helps to Learn

Quality of education in classroom situations

Let's Go to School Together

Retention of girls in school (after primary)

Learning Can be Fun

Need for quality education

Life has Changed

Psychosocial episode

Life smiled again

Based on 2005 Kashmir earthquake. Many affected families from infected areas came to Mina's village for shelter and protection. Meena became in friend with a girl named Nasreen and helped her to find her family

References

External links

• Meena's World
• Download free Meena comic books from the UNICEF website