Raj TV is media partner for Shiksha in TN

The original date of this story is 31st March, 2006
Meher Khanna - Televisionpoint.com Correspondent
The Tamil entertainment channel Raj TV has become the official television media partner for Shiksha, a P&G programme to help children across India achieve their right to education in association with India's premier child's rights organisation Child Rights and You (CRY). To promote this, Raj TV has conducted a press conference in chennai, where actress Soha Ali Khan was in the city as an ambassador, accompanied by actor Siddharth, actress Shreya and danseuse Anita Ratnam, pledging their support for the cause.

The conference was organised to make people aware about the programme and to encourage consumers in this endeavor which ensures that by buying P&G products they indirectly support the cause.

B Shankar, VP-Sales & Marketing, Raj TV says, "We are thrilled with the opportunity to partner with Shiksha and benefit from their world-class expertise, for a nobel cause. Raj TV has always built a new philanthropy marketplace that offers donors a choice of more impact projects and this P&G property is one of them. What Shiksha was a powerful marketing partner to help them reach millions of donors who, in aggregation, will fund and future projects fueling positive social change in communities throughout the the country."

Siddharth, actor and ambassador of Shiksha said, "People ask me why I wasted my education by entering films. But my reply to them is you don't waste education. Education not only makes you a better human being but a thoughtful one as well."Siddharth is a management student and has studied at the S.P. Jain Institute of Management.

Taking cue from him Anita Ratnam adds, "India shines abroad and for that credit goes to Bollywood and the software industry, but if we see the status of our country there is a long way to go." Shreya who always avoided studies but continued it because of her parents said, "I thank my parents for giving me a good education. It made me believe in my dreams and I am glad that I am now a part of this cause."

And last but not the least, Soha Ali Khan who had come all the way from Mumbai just for this, said, "The first question that I am often asked is, 'Why did you study so hard if you always wanted to join films?' For me education is not a means to anything, but an end in itself. It gives me security, confidence and tolerance. I pledge my support for this nobel cause and others too should be a part of it." Having helped support education of 11,000 children in 109 villages in 2005, this year they have committed a minimum of Rs 1 crore for the education-focused project, irrespective of sale.

Talking on the occasion Sachin Gopal, director, P&G India said, "With the response and inspiration from the consumers in 2005, we have made Shiksha an annual initiative, providing the cross-section of consumers the easiest route to get involved in leading India's underprivileged children on the path to education."

Raj TV also announced the launch of a new daily show, 'Therdhal Kalam' (Political Arena), the show will air Monday to Thursday, between 8:00 pm and 8:30 pm. The format will be a mix of set-based interviews by celebrated news anchor Nirmala Periasamy, on-location shoots and voter-views at constituencies, as well as questions from viewers to the political leader in the studio. The deferred live show will go on for around 30 episodes, up to May 7, 2006.