Emphasising the silent screams of women who suffer domestic abuse across the globe, Zindagi’s new show, Kankar, resonates the need and importance for women to stand up for themselves and raise their voice against violence and ill-treatment. The show that premieres on 13 April 2016 at 9:50 pm on Zindagi is the story of Kiran (Sanam Baloch) a girl from a simple middle class family who takes a stand, walks out of an abusive marriage and courageously faces the world and her family. Centered around love, life, status and society, Kankar highlights physical abuse and shows how domestic violence is not limited to the lower strata of society, but is also prevalent amongst the educated and affluent class. It showcases the need for a woman to take a stand, raise her voice and not suffer in silence and if required walk out of the situation. Marvellously penned by Umera Ahmed – the author of brilliant works such as ‘Meri Zaat Zarra-e-Benishan’, ‘Durr-e-Shehwar’, ‘Shehr-e-Zaat’ and ‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai’ – the story revolves around a strong female character who stands up for herself and breaks the pattern of abuse that all the women of her family have silently borne for generations. A young, lively girl Kiran personifies the young modern desi girl, who lives within the confines of tradition but also voices her opinion against the evils that prevail in society. A chance meeting with Sikander, best friend and cousin Arzoo’s betrothed brings a dramatic twist to Karan’s life that creates a rift between the two friends. Kiran’s parents want the best for their daughter and accept Sikander’s marriage proposal thinking that he would give their daughter all of life’s happiness’s. However, soon after their fairytale wedding Sikander’s true nature and his volatile temperament bring hardship and heart-ache to Kiran’s happy life, when Sikander starts to abuse her mentally and physically, distrusting and humiliating her over trivial issues. Sanam Baloch, as Kiran, is seen in one of her strongest roles on television and creates awareness about domestic violence and teaches us how we need to stand up against this most pressing social evil in today’s society. Kankar beautifully depicts how in a man’s world, women have been silently accepting marital abuse (mental, verbal or physical) for generations and it takes a ‘Kiran’ to be brave and break the pattern of abuse by standing up for her rights and courageously moving out of a toxic marriage. In an attempt to create awareness about domestic violence and to enable women to fight against the abuse, Zindagi has associated with Maitri, a NGO that is committed to facilitating every individual’s Human Rights, especially the Rights to Identity, Dignity and Respect, for a special campaign #RaiseYourVoice to encourage more and more women to come out and voice their opinion against domestic violence. In an extensive 360 degree campaign that will be on-air and on its various social media platforms like Facebook, and Twitter, Zindagi will also showcase various aspects of domestic violence to sensitize and educate viewers on this social evil. Help create awareness in your own neighbourhood by joining the movement #Raiseyourvoice against domestic violence. Call/SMS Maitri India NGO on +91-98101 32908 or write [email protected] to get advice/more information. Visit www.maitriindia.org for further details. Catch the story of courageous Kiranas she paves a pathway for woman across borders to gather courage and fight against domestic violence.