Television and Moi!

If you had read one of G K Chesterton’s essays on personality traits of the English and the French, you would better understand my quirkiness in describing myself leaning more towards the French than the English as the viewer of the shows. Subtle word-based humor is something that I take great pleasure in reading, listening, and viewing.

When I view the television or my favorite term the idiot box, I am always siding the Chesterton’s French gentlemen than the stiff upper-lipped British ones. The entire package of visual communication streaming tends to make me react emotionally and there is no way I am going to be unaffected.

Doordarshan Childhood to Youth Span

This goes back to the times of viewing shows in Doordarshan, the official government owned broadcasting group. I have seen two phases of Doordarshan from my childhood. From the time when we just had telecasted programs from Delhi and everything was in Hindi.

Then, the later period, when the Regional programs began telecasting, which was another phase of Doordarshan. Now, there are innumerable private cable channels which have taken over Doordarshan. To boot it we have the SatTvs to contend. We may have million channels to watch and land up having a Webcam Security Screen while we watch one or more show at a time.

I can never multi-task to save my skin. But my father in his retired days specialized in it. He would watch his daily soap and cricket match without blinking his eyes. TV in later days became a bone of contention among our household. But this hadpo the TV gave me a lot of space to read up novels after novels and sometimes to do researching topics for writing the next day’s SEO and company blog content.

I have lost touch with Doordarshan completely, that makes me feel sad about it. Since much of my childhood and youth was spent in front of the television but highly rationed viewing. So, sometimes I feel that I have closed opinions and views in my mind, which rarely or never had experienced a true to life event. I think I enjoyed the surrogate existence without the actual experience.  

My Rationed TV Viewing and My Penchant to Pick Shows

Even back then, my mother would monitor how much screentime I got and she used that screening time as a carrot and a stick means to get me to study and finish my homework from the school. But I one upped her and found out the timing for Faerie Tale Theatre show and watched it during my break. Rather I took that break at that particular time slot.

I used to feel so happy seeing Faerie Tale Theater by Shelley Duvall and felt a sense of extreme happiness just to watch it. I was thrilled to see fairy tale being enacted. Even today, the sound of fairy tales makes me over-excited and joyous. Magic that is good and clean is truly a wonderful experience to view and imagine.

I think nothing can beat the magic of reading a book; but then, if someone else does a visualization of the book’s story, it is something else altogether. Because interpretation varies from person to person and to capture all human impressions could be a little hard, but all can be enjoyed is a fact.

Human Are the Same in Any Language

So, I was taken in by the long winding story plot merely for the language. Even now, I keep seeing series in various languages just to feel how people react and emote. Music can be a great place to get familiar with a language. But above all, I feel there is a huge connection in the universality of human emotions.

So, when hot tears of emotion trickles down one’s cheek, it does not stand for language but for human feeling that is universal. That brings us together at all instances in a life. I feel if we are to count the number of times we match up as humans having different language, I feel we are closer to being similar than different!

One of the shows involving Songs and Dance from the movie was Chitrahaar which got telecasted every Wednesday. It used to be one of my favorite shows. Of course, the regional version was Oliyum Oliyum. It was such a pleasure to listen to songs, even though, it was never the latest song unlike the present-day cable channel run music shows.

Passion for Mini Vs Mega Series

I was never a faithful watcher of serials. I never had the patience for long winding story plot. Sometimes, I tend to incline to shorter version of stories. But I generally, saw series for the language. I loved comedy best and some of my favorites were: Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, Aa Bail Mujhe Maar, Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne, Potli Baba Ki Kahani. Of course, I also enjoyed Vikram aur betaal. Most of these series were either after 8 pm or on the weekends. If there is a show that I am interested in then the bedtime becomes flexi, but a big no if I don’t finish my homework – Home Rule 420.

There was the range of series based on Mythology in real and cartooned versions. Ramayana, Mahabharat, He-Man and his friends, back then these were the popular shows in the Doordarshan kids’ collection, telecast on Saturdays and Sundays. I remember my Sunday mornings were filled with Cartoon shows featuring all those super-heroes, Giant Robot series and other fun shows.

Infiltration of Cable Channels

Later, when the cable concept was in and we had our first cable connection, by then I was high schooler, the view still hadn’t changed for me. I remember watching with my sister Remington Steele at 7:30 pm break, which we took together. In my college days, I would still pick comedy series like Tu Tu Main Main, Friends, Remington Steele (which still on-air), Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Oprah Winfrey’s Talk Show and watch Crazy Mohan’s scripted comedy series.

Of course, I started watching a lot of Music channels like MTV and V for the latest album and indie pop. Music used to play an important part in my younger days. Even now, I enjoy listening in to 91.9 Fever FM whenever I can. I feel to learn a language, the songs are the best way to begin.

Singapore Traditional Theatre and Restricted Viewing

So, the interesting thing that happened was the fact that when I was in Singapore, I would love to surf the Chinese channels for their traditional theatre. But then, I was pre-occupied with the Community Library books and I failed to awaken my love for the Chinese or is it Mandarin language. I must say the language Chinese is a little hard, especially the scripts. But then, nothing can beat learning it, if we keep exposure to the said language steady.

Till date no place has been alien to me. I somehow connect with the land at a higher resonance, as I am happy to just watch with avidness. I love the feel of newness of a place. It tingles in my skin and my heart flies away with the breeze that touches my being.

I think I connect with Earth and her creations are as unique as her. So, the Television viewing has the same earthy fragrance in series like Mrignayani and Chanakaya.

KDrama and Moi

I fell in love with the Korean dramas when in San Francisco, since then, they had something that I have been searching for a long time. ‘Saranghae Korean <3.’ It was like a typical South Indian platter of lunch on plantain leaf; in other words; they had variety of emotions and human flavors. The best dramas were the historical costume dramas that I enjoyed with relish. I learnt that lesson when I began watching KDrama with passion that learning language is rather interesting with the aid of a Drama series.

I also liked to mix up with modern Kdramas too. But I enjoyed capturing few words and recognize the language if I overhear anyone conversing. But the fact remains that I loved Korean Dramas, because they ended within specified number of episodes unlike Indian Mega series that keep going on-air for years together! OMG! I will always love mini-series over mega-serials.

Tryst With Star and Other Channels

I really enjoyed watching Siya Ke Ram, Kya Qusoor Hai Amla Ka?, on rare occasion Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai since, it was rather late to watch. On weekends I would enjoy Naagin 1 and Naagin 2 an interesting take on snakes who become humans and vice versa! It is absurd but it is cute.

A years back I was watching Mahakali– Anth hi Aarambh hai, Dance Champion, on rare occasion Aarambh (a prequel to Bhahubali movie) since this was also very late into the night. I turn in quite early by Indian standards.

Language, Culture, and Plain Madness

These series are a great way to explore Cultural context, learn language and its nuances, and just the sheer feel of unadulterated madness. Sometimes the storyline logic is so farcical and total BS that, I am laughing my head off watching them.

Yes, I personally feel that Kdrama and Indian Teleseries can learn from each other. I like the concept of 16 episode of 1 hour series is far more space to explore than the concept of long series that goes on for years together. Get to the end, I say! I want to see them as living happily ever after sooner than later! I don’t want the burden of years on the series.

So, It is often when I lose interest in the Indian series that I am watching avidly in the beginning and stop watching mid-way. It is because they tire me and I don’t have any vested interest in the characters. My anchoring points are the plot and the characters. If both don’t click, I don’t watch those shows anymore.

I have slowly progressed towards watching CDrama, Thai Lakorns, and even tried Swedish crime thriller series. I am most happy when watching stories being enacted as drama and theatre. The search for the perfect balanced storylines and acting abilities of the characters’ role-play is an ongoing search for me.