Celeb talk shows mend relationships, resolve issues

I would like to assert that I have always been very strong on issues and have taken up sensitive issues affecting or impacting women and children all my life, even before I entered politics. Because of Nijangal, my talk show, people call us and come to us to find a solution to their problems. They are under a tremendous amount of pressure, but they open up to us on the show. Their tears and their stories are genuine.

I am also very clear that in order to find a solution to a problem, you need to speak to both sides. If only one affected party turns up for the show, I politely refuse and say, “Sorry, I cannot listen to only side of the story”. The presence of people on both sides of the divide is necessary, because unless there is a willingness to resolve an issue, it will be a futile exercise. 

Additionally, I ensure there are enough professionals on the panel. We have government administrators, police officials, legal eagles, experts in psychological counselling and other stake holders. I speak out of genuine concern, I share my personal experiences. We cannot predict what is going to happen in a programme. But nobody wants to create a scene on television. 

If someone says, “Why do you judge?”, I tell them to look at the results. We are a bridge between people. We have united couples. There was this 17-year old unwed mother, we found a solution for her. In another instance, a girl ran away from home due to certain issues, and thanks to my show in which her parents were present, as well as police officials, the girl’s problems were unknotted and we sent her home with them. There was this teenager, a mother of two, who was married off when she was only 14. She did not want to live with the 48-year old husband because he made her life miserable. 

In fact, we have been getting calls from Malaysia, Singapore, Canada and Delhi to quote a few. They want to take part via Skype but I tell people it is better to appear in person and sort out issues face to face. 

Talk shows have always been good at healing, and they happen in all the countries. As the tag line of my show says, Idhu theervukkana kalam. I look at a problem with clear eyes and an open mind. If someone says I held a man by a collar, then it is because he used words that no man should use when talking of his wife and children on my show. I held him by the collar—anyone else in my position would have done the same. Obscene language is not acceptable in any form, in any fora.