Tata Steel UISL’s ‘Abki Baar Palti Maar’ campaign spreads dengue awareness across Jamshedpur

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur: With the aim of making the city dengue-free, Tata Steel UISL (formerly JUSCO) has launched a mass awareness campaign titled “Abki Baar Palti Maar” across schools, colleges and residential colonies of Jamshedpur. The campaign combines education and entertainment, deploying two dedicated teams to reach out to the public.

One team demonstrates how to identify dengue mosquitoes and educates people about their breeding habits. The other, a cultural drama troupe, stages interactive street plays to spread awareness in an engaging way. These plays, performed under the banner of “Abki Baar Palti Maar,” use music, humour and drama to deliver preventive health messages.

So far, the troupe has performed over 100 shows in government and private schools, colleges, colonies and localities. A special performance has been scheduled on August 28, 2025, at Beladih Church English School, Bistupur. The campaign is led by Dr. Alok Suman Sharma, Chief Manager, Public Health Services, Tata Steel UISL.

The street play features popular local theatre artists from Geeta Theatre. National-level actor Prem Dixit plays the character of Shakal, Geeta Kumari portrays Miss Maya, Dulmu Solman enacts a dengue patient, while 20-year-old Anant Sardar of Sonari takes on the role of the ‘Dengue Mosquito,’ a crowd favourite among students.

During the play, Shakal urges, “Just take 10 minutes once a week to overturn stagnant water in and around your homes. Where this is not possible, add a few drops of oil to prevent mosquito breeding.” Miss Maya further adds, “If you notice any dengue symptoms, seek medical advice immediately and take proper medication and diet.”

The performances conclude with principals, teachers and students taking a pledge to spread the awareness message further, reinforcing collective responsibility in keeping the city dengue-free.