Galli Galli Sim Sim reiterates commitment to promote Early Childhood Education in India, Gears up for an exciting Season Two on POGO
Learning continues to be fun with Googly, Chamki and new Muppets - Akshar Kumar, Kewal Khadoosa, Zoonie, Ba and Baba, Dhenchoo, and Rengu Rani
Harnessing the educational power of television to provide a strong early childhood foundation for preschoolers in India, Galli Galli Sim Sim, the popular preschool show is back with an even more exciting second season! Co-produced by nonprofit educational organization, Sesame Workshop, Turner Entertainment Networks Asia Pacific (TENA), leaders in the kids’ entertainment genre and in creative collaboration with production partner, Miditech, the new season of Galli Galli Sim Sim will debut on September 10th on weekdays at 2 p.m. on POGO.
Based on intensively researched content, Galli Galli Sim Sim is a show for children between three to six years, their parents and caregivers. Research indicates that educational inputs early in a child’s life have a direct and profound bearing on the child’s later educational, social and economic achievements. The first six years of a child’s life are globally acknowledged as the most critical years for lifelong development. Addressing these needs of this age group, Galli Galli Sim Sim embraces a whole child curriculum spanning five critical areas of Early Childhood Development – physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and cultural.
Based on positive viewer feedback from season one, Galli Galli Sim Sim season two has been designed to increase interactivity by giving the Muppets a pivotal role. Kids will get to make more friends as new residents arrive in the Galli - Akshar Kumar, Kewal Khadoosa, the enthusiastic Zoonie, the squabbling duo Ba and Baba, Dhenchoo and Rengo Rani are being introduced in the show along with, Revathy – a human character. In its second season, Galli Galli Sim Sim will run for 65 episodes of 30 minutes each, and will be broadcast in Hindi.
Announcing the launch of Galli Galli Sim Sim season two on POGO, Monica Tata, Vice President Advertising Sales and Networks, India and South Asia, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Aired on POGO, Cartoon Network and Doordarshan, the series has created a record of being India’s first preschool show to reach and positively influence the lives of over 22 million kids across the country – a number that continues to grow! Over the last year, the Muppets - Chamki, Googly, Boombah and Aanchoo, have become positive role models for children, teaching them literacy and math along with human values of sharing, caring and tolerance. Season two reiterates our commitment to offer pre-schoolers education fundamentals that will better prepare them for school and life.”
The uniqueness of Galli Galli Sim Sim is its holistic approach to distribution where the power of television is supplemented with intensive on ground outreach spearheaded by the nonprofit organization Sesame Workshop India. “Extending the reach of the program and reinforcing the educational goals to populations most in need is our primary objective. From using innovative mobile platforms such as a hand held cart to, producing educational resources for children and caregivers in balwaadis (child care centers), our vision is to make Galli Galli Sim Sim an integral part of a child’s early years of development,” says Sashwati Banerjee, Executive Director, Sesame Workshop India. Introducing a modernized version of the bioscope in balwaadis, has seen attendance in many of these centers increase by 45 percent – this is all good news given that many of these children do not have access to any early childhood care and that parents and caregivers have very low awareness about the importance of early childhood development.
With generous funding provided by The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation abd Turner, Sesame Workshop India will reach over a million children and caregivers in urban slums of Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad over the next five years. Sesame Workshop India continues to seek partners to expand its outreach – to reach populations most in need.
Another critical factor for Galli Galli Sim Sim to have struck a chord with its viewers is the show’s entertainment quotient. The production quality of the show has greatly contributed to the success of season one and it has been further defined for season two. Elaborating on the production of Galli Galli Sim Sim season two, Niret Alva, President, Miditech said, “The show is highly interactive and our world on the Galli will draw you in and hold you in a warm embrace for the duration of the show. This season, every episode will be centered on a theme along with the early childhood educational objectives of the show. New Muppet, Akshar Kumar will teach the ‘Letter of The Day’ in an entertaining and interactive manner and kids will be introduced to math through recurring animated characters. Boombah’s alter ego - the Sabzimaan will encourage kids to develop healthy eating habits. The show includes interactive formats where game shows, exploring science through Chamki’s detective persona and going on journeys to fantastic lands far away with Aanchoo, are sure to keep the children engaged and entertained.”
Galli Galli Sim Sim, a partnership between Sesame Workshop and Turner Entertainments Networks Asia Pacific (TENA), in creative collaboration with Miditech Productions, is a broad-based, multimedia educational initiative for pre-schoolers and their parents. Modeled on Sesame Street, the Workshop's landmark educational series for preschoolers, it is being created and produced in India, in collaboration with Indian educators, producers, broadcasters, writers, and researchers, ensuring that the content is both culturally appropriate and uniquely suited to the educational needs of India's children. The goal of this initiative is to promote joyful learning of basic life skills for India's children, and elevate awareness of the importance of early childhood development and education, while celebrating the diversity of India.
Galli Galli Sim Sim provides mass reach, which is combined with effective on-ground strategies that reinforce the impact of the curriculum. Spearheading the outreach is Sesame Workshop India, a non-profit organization whose key objective is the development of high-quality and innovative educational materials for pre-school children and their caregivers. For more details, please log on to www.galligallisimsim.com.
