The Hindu Business Line : `Safe' cricket

Is it possible for a player to score 300 runs in a one-day cricket match? Even if your name is not Sachin Tendulkar, it is possible to score these runs if you play `Safety Cricket', an innovative mobile-phone game to spread awareness about HIV and AIDS.

This mobile phone initiative, launched in December last year to disseminate information about HIV and AIDS, has attracted 2.9 million subscribers already. What has been most encouraging for its innovators, the Delhi-based ZMQ Software Systems, an e-learning company, is that 60 per cent of these subscribers, who have downloaded the game free of charge, hail from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

This is significant since AP is one of the seven high prevalence states, although Bihar, UP and Jharkhand are still among the low prevalence areas as far as spread of HIV and AIDS is concerned.

"Cricket is a religion in India. It has such a huge following that we thought it would lend itself well to an initiative on HIV and AIDS. More importantly, one of the effective ways of spreading messages is by the `Play and Learn' method, which makes learning not only exciting and engaging but also facilitates better retention of knowledge," says Hilmi Quraishi, director, e-learning, ZMQ.

The rules of the game

Safety Cricket has attracted attention probably because it follows the same pattern as a one-day cricket game. There are two teams, Demon XI and Safety XI. Demon XI sets a target, and Safety XI has to chase it in 10 overs (60 balls) and 300 seconds. Balls appear in the air in three different rows in the form of safety symbols such as condoms, faithful partners, HIV information, AIDS red ribbon etc. Runs will be scored only when the safety balls are collected. On striking the safety balls, messages about HIV awareness and safe sex are displayed. On the other hand, on striking the `unsafe' balls, the player will be out and information about how HIV is transmitted is flashed. Clearly, the message being that one can get infected if safety measures and precautions are not taken.

Currently only subscribers of Reliance mobile phones can download Safety Cricket and three other games — Ribbon Chase, The Messenger and Quiz with Babu — all designed to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. "So far only Reliance has agreed to allow its download free of charge. We are hoping that other telecom companies will also come forward, as the response has been so tremendous," says Quraishi.

Despite its success, ZMQ does not intend to spin this into a commercial venture. "We are not charging Reliance any money. Nor have we taken any money from the Delhi State AIDS Control Society (DSACS), which has supported this venture. DSACS has helped to authenticate the content of the games. We are using our own money to develop the games. It is our corporate social responsibility to use technology and expertise for a cause like HIV and AIDS awareness programmes," he says.

But what happens when people get tired of the same games? ZMQ realised that the shelf-life of a game was between three and four months. In order to retain the interest of existing subscribers and to attract new ones, they had to add four new variations.

"Earlier we considered translating the existing games into various Indian languages like Telugu, Tamil, Hindi etc. But then we realised that the resources would be better utilised by upgrading the existing games. Perhaps at a later stage, we will translate them into regional languages," says Quraishi.

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