Meena (character)
Meena | |
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![]() Meena cartoon official logo | |
Publication information | |
Publisher | UNICEF Hanna-Barbera |
First appearance | Bangladesh Comics Bangladesh Television Hanna-Barbera |
Created by | UNICEF, ToonBangla |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Meena |
Species | Human |
Team affiliations | Bangladesh Television |
Notable aliases | Mina |
Abilities | Effective |
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.The cartoon character Meena was created by famous Bangladeshi cartoonist Mustofa Monowar & partly due to the UNICEF, an organization that supports the growing educational awareness of South Asia through Meena and her stories.
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 Meena's village for shelter and protection. Meena became friends with a girl named Nasreen and helped the latter find her family
References
- ^ http://www.unicef.org/rosa/media_2479.htm
- ^ http://www.awn.com/unicef/media.html
- ^ http://www.goodnewsindia.com/Pages/content/transitions/meena.html
- ^ http://google.com/search?q=cache:m7iNgXyh18IJ:www.accu.or.jp/litdbase/literacy/nrc_nfe/eng_bul/BUL12.pdf+meena,+cartoon&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=14&gl=us
- ^ http://www.unicef.org/rosa/media_2511.htm
- ^ http://www.unicef.org/rosa/Rosa_meena_Count_your_chickens.PDF
- ^ http://www.unicef.org/rosa/Rosa_meena_dividing_the_mango.pdf
- ^ http://www.unicef.org/rosa/Rosa_meena_who_is_afraid_of_the_bully.pdf
External links
- Meena's World
- Download free Meena comic books from the UNICEF website
- [1]