Jokes Apart

This article details how a man dressed up as a clown is helping with polio immunisation drives in India. For three years, Mahachanda Jha, popularly called the polio joker in Malad, has been hired by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to attract children to the polio booths during polio immunisation drives. To attract attention, Jha dresses up in a multi-coloured polka dotted dress, a large cap and make-up. He then creates various dialogues and songs about polio and travels around spreading the message at schools, churches, mosques, temples and railway stations.

According to Prakash Thorat, a community development officer, Jha “has a great recall value. Now people in Malad see him and know immediately that the coming Sunday is polio day.” According to Thorat, Jha has been particularly successful in slums and high-risk areas, places where curious children follow him to the polio booths.