Why should Chutki make laddoos while Bheem conquers?

Chutki is Bheem's best friend, but she is usually kept on the sidelines while he goes on adventures and battles bad guys

Are our kids learning the right things from the cartoons they watch? Almas Virani is no longer sure. "My son was play-acting Chhota Bheem. His friend - who is four years older - was playing Chutki, preparing laddoos while he went on an adventure."

Alarmed by the show's unabashed gender stereotyping that her seven-year-old son and his playmates were unwittingly emulating, Virani started an online petition to appeal to Chhota Bheem's producers to #MakeChutkiStronger. Launched two days before International Women's Day, the petition crossed 1,200 signatures within 48 hours on Change.org.

The life coach and motivational speaker told mid-day, "We've always had superheroes; where are our sheroes? This gender bias is very evident in Chhota Bheem. In the cartoon, Chutki cannot climb trees, and hardly has any participation in the adventures."

Not kidding around
Her petition states: 'While Chutki is a fictional character, she represents the conditioning that girls and boys across India grow up with. Millions of Indian women have grown up to behave like Chutki, remaining passive and submissive, expected to toe the line while boys grow up to be the dominant, decision-making Bheems. Her mother is constantly telling her to not go running around and climbing trees with the boys. Is this what we want our girls to model?'

Chutki's role in the cartoon is often limited to making laddoos for Chhota Bheem or being rescued from bad guys by him

She isn't kidding about the impact this children's cartoon has on Indian society. Chhota Bheem has over 40 million viewers across the nation, most of whom are in the age group of 3-9 years. The show also has the highest reach and influence in Tier-3 cities and rural areas, where it's a household name.

Here are a few excerpts from Wikipedia about Chutki's character profile: "She has a soft spot for Bheem and often gets angry when he interacts with other girls. She has a crush on Bheem and considers herself as his girlfriend and future wife"; "she takes care of Bheem and gives him laddoos stolen from her mother."

Almas Virani started the #MakeChutkiStronger petition after watching her son Ayan and his friend role-play as Chhota Bheem and Chutki

Even among adults, the show is ripe material for sexism. The petition points out: 'In the audition scene for the rap battle in the movie, Gully Boy, the rappers try to insult each other to win. Suddenly, one rapper tells another, "Tu Chhota Bheem nahi Chutki hain," and the crowd erupts in loud laughter.

Showrunner responds
"We not only want Chutki to be made as strong as the others, but also want the makers to start a show with her in the lead, as they have done for other characters," said Virani.
Rajiv Chilaka, the maker of Chhota Bheem, responded to her on Twitter, stating: "Thanks we are working on that and will do the needful."

This is an issue that matters deeply to Virani, who runs the organisation Express Her, which hosts events for mothers and children where they can discuss patriarchy, feminism and gender equality. "It is important that we create a next generation of responsible people - men and women - who believe in equality," she concluded.

40MN
Chhota Bheem viewers in India, largely aged 3 to 9 years

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