We got our cable connection in the year 1999 during the England cricket World Cup.
Maybe now its unthinkable but I still cherish the memories of the loads of fun I used to have while switching channels from doordarshan 1 to metro, 10 years back. That was a time when our televisions didn’t have a cable connection. I used to be a TV freak then (Now I limit my viewing to impeccable stuff only) I still remember I appeared for an interview to get an admission in Calcutta Boys school, half hearted and my mind wandering off distractedly to the Shaktimaan episode I was going to miss. Yes, I was rebuked, scolded by my parents for doing so but I never regret the fact till now. And of course, I did not get the admission, less due to my allegiance to Mukesh Khanna and mainly due to the fairly large sum of ‘donation’ asked by the principal from my father.Apologies for digressing. Yes, Television, even if restricted to two channels, was a treat for me to savour everyday. Fond memories are attached to the incomparable Chhuti chhuti which used to be aired on DD 1 during the summer holidays. From puppet shows to cartoons, from children’s movies to informative capsules, it had it all to hook me on to the tube after a reluctant study session and a brisk bath. Ahh those were the days. As the golden sunshine came streaming in through the flimsy curtains used to block it in our drawing room, I used to have sips of lemon cordial made by my Mom and devour the show attentively. Sometimes I wonder, the kind of attention I have given towards Tv and Cinema and books, if a certain percebtage of it was contributed towards Mathematics, Sanskrit, tuitions, classes and studies in a whole, then I would have been a topper of sorts. I was attentive. I had concentration but number one it was short lived and number two, it was directed towards the pursuit of seemingly alluring things which the society and specifically parents consider, or used to consider, as useless. Now of course the perception has changed, partly due to the indispensable medium of communication the Tv is and the maximum attraction of the parents themselves towards the so called idiot box. So Chhuti chhuti was one such program. I was introduced to Feluda and Goopi gyne Bagha byne and Satyajit Ray per se thanks to the wonderful program, which I strongly feel should be revived today. Trust me. Even if the advent of reality shows, soaps, cartoons and 100 odd channels have made their mark on the minds of even toddlers, a fair dose of a chhuti chhuti season would be lapped up with equal significance and curiosity for the things lost and suddenly found.
And of course, who could forget the cartoons in the afternoons? Starting from the 4 o clock slot. Well, I am still unaware of the cartoons that used to precede the 4 o clock timing as I was forcibly made to take a nap during afternoons which I completely abhorred and now passionately long for, by my mother, and which failing to do so attract a thwack out of nowhere on my cheeks of anywhere on my body. So there were many afternoons when I used to lay down, pretend to sleep and in the core of my mind, desire the crawling minutes to speed up and pass on quickly. So whether it be the mickey mouse cartons or swat kats or duckwing duck or duck tales or even super human samurai, they were jewels for me. An everyday treat to my huge appetite for cartoons at that time, which was curbed and eventually was lost after the horrible afternoon tuitions started and instead of watching cartons or playing in the field with my friends, I had to sling a bag and with a heavy heart bid goodbye to my passions and enter the dark dingy world of private tuitions. I can find the flicker of that passion for cartoons in me today in flashes, if I spot a spongebob squarepants episode or if I pick up a calvin and hobbes essential. That time, I didn’t used to miss a single carton any day. I was reluctant to visit my relations due to it, which would draw flak from everybody, and embarrassingly from my relations too.
And then as the day proceeded, there were the serials. Those nostalgic pieces of sunshine which are still deep embedded on the storehouse of my fond reminiscences which make me up and feeds me when I long for my past, uncluttered simple existence. Shrimaan Shrimati. All the best. Naya Nukkad. Non-stop nonsense. Dekh bhai dekh. Bengali soaps which I used to share with my teary eyed mother sitting beside me, like janani and janmabhoomi. I used to be delighted with the background cackling audio which would be set on after each dialogue of hilarity mouthed by some of the best TV stars. I used to go crazy if I wasn’t allowed to watch non-stop nonsense, the comedy series which employed animosity as one of the principle tools of tickling your funny bone-a german extravaganza and an exotic delight for me. When I saw the series a couple of years back or so in a TV channel with its original name of ‘didi’ retained, I was not only bored but also surprised of my lack of interest in the show which was more attractive to me in my childhood than anything else. I guess my passion has left me and have been usurped by News and other shows on TV today. And then came two whoppers of a serial-the danny denzongpa starrer feisty Ajnabi and the family drama Junoon. Both of which was a must watch by me and my mother. The haunting track of Ajnabi still lingers in my mind and the powerful performance of Danny was a true achievment in his career. I didn’t find such an interest in junoon though. Sea Hawks, Captain Vyom, Captain house were the other adventurous soaps which were good timepasses. There was another soap starring neena gupta and a person whose screen name was Mr. Bajaj (I forget its name) loved by my Mom. News, I abhorred at that time. I loathed it if my Dad used to see the 7 o clock DD bulletin, a common practice among Bengali families at that time. Friday night movies were appealing by I had my own limits which restricted my Tv viewing till 10 in the night lest I fail to wake up at 5.30 in the morning next day and go to school. And weekends were not an exception. I also remember having a trifle interest in watching a Japanese soap aired generally during the odd hours of the afternoon.
Of course, apart from my daily diet of cartoons and comedies, bollywood used to be my staple too. From that time onwards I tried to track the happenings around the tinsel town, partly from shows on bolly news and scoops (the names of which I forget) and partly from scouting the entertainment pages in the newspaper. Though I was not so particular as I am now, still I made it a point to watch those shows whenever I was not watching anything else. The epical ‘Durga Durgatinashini’ aired on every mahalaya was a visual and audio wonder which I used to savour with my sleepy eyes at 5 o clock in the morning. Byomkesh bakshi was an occasional treat for me. A word about the brilliant advertisements that used to come on TV at that time. Who can forget the nirma super commercial which I chant even now? The energy of Lifebuoy, the simplicity of spredit margarine, the melody of vicco turmeric, the curiosity of deluxe nirodh, the fun of lijjat papad, the freshness of pepsi and coke and so on and so forth. Those gems are still considered as some of the bests by different admen today. But there were times, when I used to be saddened by the fact that a cricket match was not telecasted on doordarshan and on a private cable channel instead. Or when my friends used to chatter ceaselessly of topics related to programmes on cable channels. But a sneak peek of a half an serial on DD would revive me instantaneously. And when I began longing for cable TV, after its widespread appeal began to entice people from all quarters of life, I knew in my mind that no amount of shows on DD can hold me to it any longer. The pure innocent childhood days were slowly starting to get corrupted by the advent of modernity and advancement.
So that’s the long and short of it. It was a classy episode in my life where I infused a spirit in a seeming lifeless matter. Two channels and a lot to explore. Nowadays, there have been several occasions when I have surfed the 100 channels on my set top box and haven’t been able to stick to one due to the uninteresting drab shown in the channels. That is when I wish that the DD serials and the cartoons be re introduced for people like me who still swear by them. Television was a passion then, Now it’s a tendency.
No comments:
Post a Comment