The best channels for communicating with mass audiences in India (and I would think in most of Asia, too) in a health crisis like the current swine flu is television, followed by the mobile.

So far, India has not figured in stories about the spread of the flu. If that happens, this would be a good opportunity for global companies to showcase their ‘global’ commitment by getting into the education space on containing the flu.

What better way to make your presence felt with public interest messages about the right way of sneezing, not spitting and other simple social behavior changes to improve hygiene in our cities and villages?

India has over 80 news channels in English and several Indian languages, reaching at least 580 million viewers in 120 million homes. Contrast this with just one government-run channel 18 years ago when India decided to take the plunge into a market economy!

India now also has almost 400 million mobile phones in a population of 1.1 billion against barely 5 million in 1991! And that number is growing by 12-15 million a month!

Television has the advantage of the visual while (at right) a woman answers a call as she carries drinking water home, a daily chore for many women in India

SMSes on mobile phones are good for brief messages, especially when power supply is disrupted. They can reach people in rural areas where many use solar-chargeable cellphones. But television is the best medium for informed discussions, especially for educating viewers without creating panic.

Television’s greatest power is its visuals, especially in a county where 28% of the population, or 300 million people, are still illiterate. This is where print has great limitations.

About 70 million of the 120 million homes that have television also have access to cable and satellite. This means they have access to 350 channels that include National Geographic and Discovery. These channels are now also dubbed in Hindi, which increases their reach tremendously.

The present time is a great opportunity for pharma and healthcare companies, especially global companies in India, to showcase their social involvement, partnering with local healthcare officials and the state and federal governments to ensure people are correctly informed and not driven by panic.

Folk artists performing in India

Apart from TV and SMSes mobile phones, India has a large number of travelling local folk theatre groups who can be involved to spread the message very creatively in pockets where the flu hits hardest.