How Hunnarbaaz is integral to accomplishing Skill India mission

The good thing about television programs is that even if you miss watching them on TV, you can conveniently watch them on YouTube, anytime – anywhere and from any device – desktop computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone. This is so true of Hunnarbaaz, India’s first – ever TV series on skill development, vocational training, jobs and employment telecast on Doordarshan National Channel. Even though most episodes of this series were telecast much before Skill India Mission got off to a consolidated nation-wide start, the content is highly relevant even today and the YouTube Channel has a huge repository of videos that can be used for information, education or simple infotainment!

Skill development is all about people, their everyday lives, hopes, fears, success and failure. It needs to generate a mass appeal by reaching out to every corner of the country. This means more awareness, more accessibility, more acceptance and more appreciation. And, going by the scale and speed with which the initiatives are expected to demonstrate value and show results, we need many ways to reach people. Television is definitely one of the means that can go way beyond spreading the word and creating awareness to actually transforming lives and enriching livelihoods. And, Hunnarbaaz series has a wealth of content that is integral to making Skill India mission a success, particularly by reaching out to the youth, student community and parents.

Huunarbaaz is a perfect example of how people can be informed and educated about the need for skilling and the options they have to pursue their education and careers. In the first season the program has covered many industry sectors and each one has rich and authentic content in the form of industry visits, demonstrations and interviews. The second season focused on apprenticeship and work-integrated training through fictional accounts of the challenges and advantages. The current season brings stories of courage, innovation and confidence to enhance the aspirational value of skilling for various jobs and promoting entrepreneurship.

I’ve been following the Hunnarbaaz series since its start and I found it highly useful to learn about the industry sectors, the ITI s and other technical training and academic institutions, the success stories of ordinary people and of course, inspirational stories of the leaders from various industries. I’m happy to introduce you to the Exclusive Edition of Skill Times through a series of articles using content from some of the episodes of Hunnarbaaz. These articles are meant to show how video content can be used to enhance the impact of learning by showing how things are done in real life. I wish to thank Cinema Vision India and NSDC for giving permission to use the videos and Mr Siddharth Kak for the engaging and inspirational Skill Talk for NSN.

Hunnarbaaz YouTube Channel

All episodes of Hunnarbaaz are available on YouTube in the public domain. You could use these videos as supplementary content in training programs or even while mobilizing and counselling people to join the skill courses. The videos showing the industry sectors and how work actually happens in the shop floor is highly relevant and it also has the added element of a competition that may be fun watch and learn.

Click here to view episodes of Hunnarbaaz Season 1

Real life stories of ordinary people never fail to inspire! Success stories are always endearing and have a universal appeal. You can view the success story video clips from the Season 1 and use the same as pre-training content to draw attention and motivate students. This may help build aspirations around skilling!

Click here to view the Success Stories

Similarly, you have videos classified under various categories for easy access and viewing such as “Hunnar se Rozgar tak”. The special episodes on “Mission Skill India Apprenticeship” provide much-needed information on Apprenticeship scheme and options to enrol and benefits. Here’s an example from Season 2:

In Season 3, you can view stories of achievers and entrepreneurs who have succeeded irrespective of their limitations and made a mark in the industry. This season also has celebrities from different walks of life endorsing the need for appreciating skills and talent and how it can transform our lives. Here’s an example from Season 3:

Watch the videos and share them on social media

Watch the videos on Hunnarbaaz YouTube channel and enrich your knowledge about the rich landscape of vocational options available for youth in India. You could share them on social media channels like Facebook and Twitter to spread the message. And don’t forget to tune in to Doordarshan National on Sundays at 11.30 AM to follow the episodes in Season 3. Share your observations and feedback on how you’ve used these videos in your skill development courses and related activities. I’d be happy to learn from you. Mail me at: nsnindia16@gmail.com. Your suggestions and feedback will be shared with the Hunnarbaaz team as well.