Duronto Somoy: Bangladeshi edutainment returns for season 3
Duronto TV’s best edutainment show for children returns with a bigger and better third season
'Duronto Somoy' is a family and children friendly show that is broadcast annually with each season (consisting of 65 episodes each) spanning three months. Season 3 of the show has begun from 1 May.
Partha Protim Halder and Md Jamal Hossain are the co-directors of the show and have been its showrunners since season 1.
"We made this show for the children in Dhaka who do not have playgrounds like kids of the previous generation. Children need movement, they need to be mobile, and as such our show also encourages movement through exercise sessions, stories, and introductions to various educational topics," one of the show runners, Partha Protim Halder told The Business Standard while explaining why he and his colleague made it in the first place.
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"The children these days spend most of their time watching television and videos on their phones. 'Duronto Somoy' wants to capitalise on this habit and be the kind of edutainment programme that is fun, engaging and educational," Partha added.
Set in an atmosphere like that at home, 'Duronto Somoy' includes characters like 'khalamoni' (maternal aunt), who is actively participating in helping her 'nieces and nephews' learn new lessons.
"Our main target is to help with the physical and mental growth of these children. When they see that there are characters in the show that are familiar like the nurturing roles they have in their lives, learning becomes fun and relatable," added the co-director.
The format for learning in the show is like any lesson taught at school in general. Whenever the show introduces a particular topic, they keep putting emphasis on it through various other activities. The repetition helps children remember.
In the last seasons of 'Duronto Somoy', one of the segments was dedicated to show how animals walk. For example, how a rabbit jumps, how a giraffe walks, and so on. The mimicry of animals' walking through movement served two purposes- physical mobility and also the children's knowledge regarding animals.
Arts and crafts are also encouraged in the show. With materials and resources that can be found at home, 'Duronto Somoy' during its previous seasons taught children various crafts and creative ideas in creating art.
In this third season, 'Duronto Somoy' has a new addition- Yoga. They want to teach children yoga but through familiar means and topics.
"We have done a lot of research. We have also spoken to professionals and taken advice regarding what yoga positions are appropriate for children. And we have only kept those as a part of the show," said Partha.
The response to the programme was overwhelmingly positive and has subsequently encouraged the programme officials to move forward.
The show will be broadcast three times throughout the day from 9 am, 2.30 pm, and 9 pm on Sundays to Thursdays.
