NEW DELHI (Reuters Life!) - A new television serial in India is competing with an array of glitzy soap operas for viewers' attention -- with a little bit of education thrown in for free.

"Kyunki...Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai" (Because... That's What Life Is) has its share of wicked mothers-in-law, young lovers and dark secrets but weaves in social messages on gender bias, maternal mortality and HIV/AIDS prevention.

Based on issues highlighted in the 'Facts for Life' publication of the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), the Hindi-language serial follows the lives of six characters in a fictional village called Rajpura.

"People are happy to watch entertainment which is engaging and dramatic but if it also has a message...they will appreciate it even more," Unicef Representative Morten Giersing told Reuters.

Giersing had been associated with a similar initiative called "Soul City", a popular show in South Africa, and he hoped to replicate its success in India.

Unicef is targeting an audience of 40 million women in north India with an initial run of 80 episodes on television but also plans a radio version and special screenings in some rural areas with no access to television.

"Kyunki..." is an unusual choice for prime-time viewing on the Doordarshan channel," Baljit Singh Lalli, the head of India's national broadcaster said at the serial's launch on Wednesday.

"Serials are normally set in urban India, in homes which are highly rich or belong to the upper middle class (but) this serial has a typical rural setting."