कविता चौधरी की ‘उड़ान’ ने करोड़ों महिलाओं को दी प्रेरणा

New Delhi: Remember that era of the 80s, when on TV a woman wearing a simple saree used to say with great confidence while bargaining with a vegetable seller – ‘Brother, there is a difference between a cheap thing and a good thing.’ That voice was that of Kavita Chaudhary, whom the world knew as ‘Lalita ji’. Lalita ji was not just an advertisement character, but she had brought on screen that sensible woman of every Indian household who keeps track of every penny. Kavita started her career from the National School of Drama (NSD), Delhi, where stalwarts like Anupam Kher and Satish Kaushik were her classmates. Later, she not only took up acting but also took up the mantle of direction at a time when this path was very difficult for women.

Kavita Chaudhary’s biggest blast was the TV serial ‘Udaan’. This show was not a mere fantasy, but was the story of his own sister Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya, who became the second woman IPS officer of the country. That character of ‘Kalyani Singh’ in the serial became an inspiration in every household. At a time when the society believed that the son was the ‘light of the family’, ‘Udaan’ showed that a daughter can also change the system by becoming a part of it. The impact of this show was so tremendous that after watching it, there was a huge jump in the number of girls appearing for civil services examinations. Kavita proved through her pen and vision that if instead of showing a woman as ‘weak’ on screen, she is shown as ‘strong’, then people still love her equally.

Gave encouragement to crores of women
If ‘Udaan’ gave respect to Kavita Chaudhary, then the advertisement of ‘Lalita Ji’ made her a household name. He taught that spending a little more is not wasteful expenditure, but a right ‘investment’. This was perhaps the first campaign in Indian advertising that presented a housewife as an ‘intelligent decision maker’. In the last years of her life, Kavita fought the disease like cancer with great silence and dignity. Even after her death, her glow and the courage of Kalyani Singh are still remembered. Even though she is no longer among us, the wisdom of ‘Lalita ji’ and the flight of ‘Kalyani Singh’ still inspire crores of women.