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Molded by Stories: How Clay Art Is Giving New Life to a Beloved Drama in Nepal
In the Far West and Karnali province of Nepal, stories once broadcast over radios are resurfacing—not just through soundwaves, but through sculpted clay, shadow puppetry, and shared community reflections. For many listeners, Population Media Center-Nepal’s rebroadcast of its celebrated radio drama Mai Sari Sunakhari (“Orchid Like Me”) is a revival of familiar voices and a reawakening of dialogue, imagination, and self-expression—particularly through an unexpected and deeply personal medium: clay.
A Legacy Story with New Purpose
For more than 25 years, Population Media Center (PMC) has used entertainment to drive social change, especially around issues that affect women and girls. In Nepal, one of its most impactful initiatives was the 208-episode radio drama Mai Sari Sunakhari, originally aired from 2016 to 2018. Delivered in Nepali, the series addressed a broad range of social issues: child marriage, girls’ education, family planning, reproductive health, gender-based violence, maternal and child health, and women’s entrepreneurship.
Building on its success, PMC-Nepal began a year-long rebroadcast of the series in September 2023 across 10 districts in the Far West and Karnali province. The rebroadcast aired each 15-minute episode four times per week across ten community radio stations. The rebroadcast took the existing foundation to build something even richer. It marked the beginning of a layered, community-centered engagement model that brought Mai Sari Sunakhari back to life through listening clubs, shadow plays, social media, and—most unexpectedly—clay art.
A Radio Drama Reimagined for Today’s Nepal
To resonate with both new and longtime audiences, PMC-Nepal adapted the storyline of Junimaya—a key character facing child marriage—into a standalone, 5-minute series titled Junimaya Ko Katha. These condensed episodes were shared as shadow plays and video content via YouTube and Facebook. The message was also extended into mainstream entertainment through Utsav Rasaili’s celebrity YouTube chat show Ramailo Chha, where topics like love, early marriage, and gender roles were discussed in accessible, relatable formats.
“Mai Sari Sunakhari and Junimaya Ko Katha are like cornerstones for societal change,” said one male listener from Dadeldhura. “In the Far West, where internet is limited, radio is still the most accessible tool—and these programs can truly drive transformation.”
These digital and traditional components were bolstered by school-based listening activities, public events, and targeted social media campaigns. By combining formats and channels, PMC-Nepal ensured that the drama reached across ages, locations, and levels of access.
Clay as Conversation: Making Stories Tangible
The most intimate component of the rebroadcast effort may be the one that doesn’t involve any broadcast at all. As part of the project’s evaluation, PMC-Nepal introduced a clay art initiative within Focus Group Discussions and Key Informant Interviews held across the Surkhet, Dailekh, Kalikot, Achham, Doti, and Dadeldhura districts. The goal was to explore how the drama impacted knowledge, behaviors, and social norms in these rural districts.
“Clay art is a powerful tool for allowing participants to give meaning to their feelings and other expressions that are sometimes hard to interpret,” explained Rajan Parajuli, Country Director of PMC-Nepal. “It’s also a good tool for reflective exercises, and we wanted our listeners to reflect on the drama and their lives.”
– Rajan Parajuli, Country Director of PMC-Nepal
Each focus group included a participatory modeling activity where listeners created symbolic clay sculptures. These models were used to explore emotional responses, cultural beliefs, and shifts in personal behavior. Using clay, participants shared their interpretations in emotionally resonant and symbolic ways:
- A bird in a cage reflected the loss of Junimaya’s independence after marriage.
- A flower represented her strength and resilience.
- A character named Upasana was molded to represent independent womanhood and self-confidence.
- A group of figures showed the power of community dialogue to prevent harmful traditions like child marriage.
“Sometimes questions limit the scope of answers for participants,” said Parajuli. “Using clay art as a tool in the qualitative evaluation allowed people to reflect on impact the way they feel.”
These were not just art projects. They were deeply personal stories, molded by the hands of those who had seen themselves in the characters they listened to.
Data in Motion: What the Evaluation Revealed
This qualitative study found that Mai Sari Sunakhari had succeeded in fulfilling its core mission: to shift behaviors and attitudes in the target communities. Listeners across the districts reported:
- Reduced acceptance of child marriage
- Greater support for girls’ education
- Improved gender dynamics within households
- More open discussions about family planning and reproductive health
Characters like Karuna, Rashmi, and Rampyaari inspired audiences to challenge harmful norms.
“I really like the show,” shared one woman from Dadeldhura. “Especially its message about the dangers of child marriage, which reflects my own experience—I was also married at a young age. Because of that, I already have two daughters, and since my eldest is now a young woman herself, the show has helped teach her how to avoid the same pitfalls I faced.”
Male participants engaged more actively in challenging gender norms, while women and girls felt more empowered to express their perspectives and participate in decision-making.
These findings demonstrate the power of storytelling, especially when combined with cultural tools like clay art that deepen reflection and expression.
More Than Media: A New Model for Listening
What sets this project apart isn’t only its content—it’s how deeply the project listened. The clay initiative created space for emotional depth and symbolic representation, particularly for those often left out of public discourse.
“We utilized multiple excerpted and spin-off contents out of one 15-minute-long episode and placed them in different time slots and digital spaces,” shared Parajuli. “Clay art was particularly helpful for people who are hesitant to speak up in the focus groups. It also helps adolescent girls and women to express more.”
Launched strategically during the school year and aligned with national campaigns on reproductive health and gender equity, the rebroadcast project provided timely content and learning opportunities. It reached youth in school clubs, families at home, and digital audiences online—all at once.
The drama’s characters helped listeners visualize a different kind of future. Their journeys challenged practices like son preference, gender-based violence, and female disempowerment. As listeners followed their arcs, they began imagining new ones for themselves.
“My neighbor’s sister reminds me of Upasana,” said a male listener in Doti. “She’s faced struggles with her husband and work but stays strong and keeps moving forward. From her story, I’ve learned I can also encourage my own sister to stay focused and resilient.”
These insights are shaping future campaigns, offering a roadmap for how storytelling can evolve to meet community needs—tactile, visual, and verbal.
By letting communities mold what they heard into something they could see and touch, PMC-Nepal reminded us of a simple truth: stories don’t just teach. They live. They breathe. And in the right hands, they transform.
