Disclaimer: This blog does not intend to promote BBC and is aimed at Doordarshan(DD) fans of India!
Once upon a time, DD was the only retreat in our lives, before any of the much raved DTH entered our homes. I so vividly remember the glorious DD programs that were few in number, but were quite good and the choice of programs aired was also very healthy and informative. In contrast to the contemporary emotionally draining soaps or faking reality shows, the then programs were worth a re-watch.
Coming back to my metaphoric title, I am actually watching the Doordarshan of UK i.e. BBC. Thanks to my landlady who blessed us with a licensed Toshiba color TV and by licensed, I meant it is antennae-ted and can pick up few free BBC channels. I am sure you are aware that BBC is not confined to news and telecasts few wonderfully informative and gripping programs. Since these are redeemed free, we can watch up to 5 or 6 channels.
I usually turn on the TV in the evenings for a couple of hours and it is a learning time every day. Few programs that intrigued me are Mary Portas-secret shopper, Documentaries (Big fat gypsy weddings, Bear Family and me, Beauty and Beast), Star gazing live, Will crash diet kill me, Rome was not built in a day. Sheffield diaries and so on. All these programs are well crafted and we can clearly identify the research and hard work gone behind to present a piece of information in an innovative way.
For a matter of fact, they cover a variety of subjects, not limiting to beauty or sports or health letting the viewers transcend the horizons of traditional needs and interests. Moreover, most of them are real reality-shows and truly entertain the dormant souls, sometimes leaving you mesmerized with beautiful facts and life stories. Every channel airs a quick (10-minute) news update once in every 2-3 hours keeping us updated and not over killing us with god forsaken reports.
Talking about the kids programs (CBBC), they are authentically kids oriented and one will be amazed at how information can be instilled depending upon the IQ levels. For example, a history related show known as Horrible Histories, which aims to teach children about the atrocities and mayhem of Kings across the globe, is presented in a humorous fashion ensuring only to teach and not send any hard emotions. I appreciate the learning and content teams behind such programs that carefully mold the masterpieces without breaking hearts.
Regardless of the program, the script used to narrate is very simple to decipher without confusing the viewer. Another vital aspect is the prelude of a show before its start, letting us decide if we would want to watch the forthcoming program or not. Also, considers the parental control so as to prevent kids from watching strong content if any.
In the weekends, one or two channels dedicate at airing famous Hollywood movies and I truly look forward to them. This was so similar to my childhood, when I used wait for the regional movie on DD on Sundays.
Now, this was only a vague overview of the daily dose of TV from BBC and can comprise many more valuable programs.
Please bear in mind that the programs mentioned above are viewed for free just like our DD and continue to be seen the way they are. Routing this TV interest to India, where is our national broadcaster gone these days? Unsure of the reasons behind DD's lost charm, I wonder if we have neglected our own channel and are burning pockets for dish TV!
This is not a platform to debate on why DD has gone down, but I am only asking is there a way that DD can shine and hail again? After all, most of the rural India still relies on this long forgotten channel for its quota of entertainment. So, I question the readers of this post to present their views on how we can bring back our national infotainment beacon?
I am certain, under creative and enthusiastic management DD can bounce back with more of Nukkad, Surabhi, Lifeline, Junglebook, Shriman shrimati, Malgudi days, Tippu Sultan, Chitrahaar, Spirit of Unity , Shanthi etc., that were classic and versatile and once made a positive difference in our lives!
Before we delve into why I need Sun, let me introduce the only country with an adjective before its name. Yes, am talking about the Great Britain and I am based out of London. Life here can be described as cold, colder and coldest, where cold is considered as warm with a partial sunny day. During cold days, Mr.Sun unveils himself for brief intervals gracing few cold sun rays on us. Because the rays are cold by nature, its just a disguise in the name of proclaimed "Sunny day"!
If I have to step out of the house, I am to be covered (read: buried) under 4 to 5 layers of fleece clothing, only to feel cold again. I sometimes dare the chills by not wearing my gloves only to find later that my palms have numbed for the next few minutes.
The temperature varies between 0 to 2 degrees, with occasional blessing in disguise of 4 and often plummeting to sub-zero!
As the saying goes, "Sun never sets in Britain"..man, its never even seen to decide if it is dawn or dusk. Around 9 am, one gets to experience the mildly bright sun light to certify it as Morning and even before we take the course of life for the rest of the day, it sets to dark at a gross afternoon of 3 to 4 -ish!
An optimistic activity that is widely acclaimed in cold countries is “Making a snow-man”! Now, what else can you do on a snowy day where flakes are showering profusely not letting you walk out on the icy - slippery roads? This Government has apparently gone poor at salt supplies to clear the sleets. Initially, it excited me to watch the snow fall with a cup of masala chai, but bored me to death to watch the white painted city, as it forbids us going anywhere and further disables the public transport too. Yes, it leaves us with a fantastic opportunity to click some amazing picturesque photographs of the snow-capped streets and trees.
Blame it on London's geographic position or the early arctic winds from i-don-remember ocean, the climate is just sick and is known to cause SAD(Seasonal Affective Disorder) with the winter blues kicking in rapidly. Being an Indian, I adore the balance of climate and temperature back home, excluding the water hazards of floods.
Yet, another complication we are blessed with is the absence of the sunshine vitamin. Yes, the skin is deprived of Vitamin D and loses its supple life. Many medical and cosmetic substitutes are piled up in the superstores to draw as many customers, making it a big business thing.
So, what do I do when its cold? I usually spend my time near the heaters installed in every room. You can imagine the amount of electricity consumption, given more than 7,556,900 people.
The locals just do not care of the winds and we can often notice them in shrimpy outfits. I am mostly amazed at how do they withstand such cold situations, when am freezing in spite of layered clothing? Another clan that usually dares cold is kids. Children below 5 years are dressed minimal and often commuted in perambulators. These kids bask in the glory of winters and don’t feel a tad cold. Can you beat that?
Probably, the Sun himself must be shivering by the dropped temperatures and hence is unable to wake up from bed?
To conclude, in spite of my winter woes, I would still say London is brilliant in lot more ways and climate is just a speck. People are fighting against the blues to make it a great place to live!
Before I set out introducing this friend, I want you to walk along with me in the memory lane of my childhood days.
Until the age of 6, I grew up in a small town called Dowaleswaram near Rajahmundry, in Government Quarters that housed the Irrigation department staff. The quarters offered single bedroomed houses with a spacious frontyard. My Mom and granny grew a nice kitchen and floral garden in the frontyard and amidst this, Dad had created a tree-swing with long ropes and wooden seat. I used to water and clean the garden regularly with few friends. When we got bored, we would start swinging on our tree-swing in doubles and talk out of bounds about everything under sun.
The friends I referred to just now included Harsha, Bulli, and Jyoti. We are of same age and used to hang out together. Another kid in the block of our age, but never ventured out of his house was Bharadwaj. He was a very different child who never went to school, never spoke to anyone, always parents-stricken and seemed so aloof to the rest of the world. Once or twice a week, we made regular trips to his place to pull him out for our silly hide n seek or catch-catch games. He was the 1st one to get caught or get out of the game for unknown reasons then. He seemed abnormal and we were very tender to sense this.
In the course of life, all of us were separated and headed to different places in the state. After few years, we found that Bharadwaj was blessed with a sibling and they have migrated to Hyderabad. So, my family paid a visit and I had the revelation of my life.
I was told that Bharadwaj is a mentally challenged child with moderate mental retardation. At that age of 10 something, I was not deeply disturbed to see him, but was surely moved to see my friend being disabled in every aspect and had to bank on his Mom for basic chores. He was to be instructed and assisted at every move; such was the level of retardation in him.
Years passed by and I forgot about him until recently, when their family visited us. I met him after ages and was so happy I did. Although, he still leads life as a mentally challenged person, he has been trained to take care of himself and socialize mildly. He remembers very few people and very fundamental information about his life. To my surprise, he remembers our gang. Not by each name, but by the memory of someone called a friend. The moment I met him, I couldn’t resist hugging him and he hasn’t once left my hand in the entire meeting. Though he spoke only 2 phrases (how are you visali, when are you coming to my house), I knew by heart that he just loves being with me. He was smiling constantly as if everything was so rosy in his life and was willing to gel with us.
His Mom has undergone this training of a counselor to deal with kids of special needs and has carved a niche for her own child by coaching him in vocational jobs. Going a little further, she has established an NGO for such kids coming from lower income families. She happens to be a telugu medium graduate, who went leaps beyond her capability to untangle the knots of not just her own life, but others too. I was only more than proud to see her spread the fragrance of humanity.
Today, Bharadwaj speaks whatever is required, knows how to eat, how to dress and behave in a group. He apparently handles book binding and paper-cover making with elan. Now, isn’t that something from a retarded person?
Meeting them left me brooding on the knots that we create and get trapped in, instead of feeling privileged with a life of fully functional brain and heart. On this note, I would like to share the details of this school for mentally challenged children, which is run by donations.
Pragati School for Reformation of Mentally Challenged, 1-6-39/100/1, Sri Venkata Sai Nagar Colony, West Venkatapuram, Secunderabad. Ph # 64635664, 9246278109.
Do pay a visit to meet the gifted children and I guarantee infinite satisfaction about life!
Recently, one of my good old friends bashed me badly about my ideas on life on her personal blog. Her criticism was so strong that the words shook me, as this same lady apparently was once well-appreciative of the same ideas. I was upset for a moment and approached another friend for a shoulder to cry. This sensible friend has just said one thing, “Forget that you have actually read something like that”. Well, though it sounded silly at that minute, it surely did work after few hours. I tuned myself to have forgotten about the blog I read that morning. I only treated it as an accident which is to be neglected as a speck. But, this fix was only temporary and I needed something stronger to be oblivious to this whole incident of criticism. I’ve introspected my feelings and wanted to ease them. I thought of several ways to clear this clutter in my mind. My options were –
Call that blogger and give it back
Comment harshly as anonymous
Blog in response and lash back
Get this sorted through a common friend
Bitch about this lady
I was happy with none, as I always believe Tit for Tat was not for friends and it was meant only to rotten the bond further. So what was I supposed to do with this unpleasantness that is draining and demoralizing me, without hurting the critic? Read on to know what I tried…
I have avoided her completely (even the passive friendship I ever thought of got scrapped). This option disconnected us physically or virtually. This has not only freed me from her updates or blogs, but has made it easy for me to forget her. But what about the unhealed hurt which I just masked? I tried this old-school medicine called Forgiveness. It pained when I applied, but over the days the wound got healed.
If you are reading this blog, you may think of it as another pep-blog boasting some self-help tips. But take it from me, there is nothing like forget and forgive. Its tried and tested!!!
Post your thoughts on what you would have done if you wore my shoes!!
This blog intends to explain the mystic spiritual experience on the Tirumala Hills.
Tirumala is one of my favorite tourist destinations, not for its religious fervor, but the spiritual bliss one gets to experience on the hills. Me, being a meditator look forward to feel the richness in the radiations and felt heavenly in my trips. We have opted to walk up the 7 hills in one of the recent trips, which is around 10km. Although, Satya (Hubby) was apprehensive about my physical abilities, looking at my enthusiasm and experience (I had already walked up twice in the last 10 years), he agreed for the 10k walk! I have treated the journey as a spiritual retreat where you pass through lush forests on either side. Enjoying the fresh forest air, which I claim as medicinal, we managed to trek in 4 hours. Tirumala Tirupati Devastaanam(TTD) offers free luggage transport for walkers and all we need to carry was some handy money. You have food joints, water points, bathrooms all the way and the path is maintained nearly clean given the huge inflow of pilgrims. Another good aspect about this whole walking thing was, TTD offers free and special Darshan (Watching the Deity) for walkers.
On Tirumala, which is over-loaded with lakhs of pilgrims flocking from all parts of India, you may find the commercial elements at every hook and corner. But, mind you ..thousands are making their living in the name of God. TTD builds its own cottages and has not entertained privatization of lodging. Perhaps, this is the reason why the hills have managed to survive. It is actually very difficult to get a room, but recommendations work real good and that’s how we got one.
Now, lets hit the darshan part. After walking for hours, the natural tendency to get tired vanishes and you are recharged for the next adventure .i.e the long, never-ending queue for darshan. Trust me; there is something magical in that place. As you enter the Vaikuntam Queue complex, you can see the eagerness in thousands around you and the place vibrates the names of Lord Venkateswara. You might be the staunchest atheist, but I can guarantee that you will chant the name at least once along with the crowd. It is so infectiously religious. You will be pushed and pulled ruthlessly if you do not resist. The trick is to hold on the wall or the railing. No matter what, you can experience the vibrations and the freshness in your mind constantly. Remember that you gotto be AWARE of yourself to experience it. So watch out! Your mind is un-deviated when you enter the Mahadwaram(Main Entrance) and the fervor in the crowd mounts up, the pace fastens and you can feel increased freshness and goodness at heart. After passing through the maze of queue complexes, you will enter the Garbha Gudi (The inner most part of a temple, where the deity is installed). The wildly excited crowd calms down and chants the name in a rhythmic fashion. This is the place, where you will be totally mesmerized, which you do not want to leave so soon and you will want to come back for another experience. The sight of this great God makes you forget every desire and despair that would have been bubbling up in you. All you want is to see the deity and enjoy the bliss or thrill you are facing. I have to admit, I have never enjoyed any temple as much as this one. Being a Semi-God fearing (as Satya calls me), I was surprised by the way my mind was traversing to this place time and again. I felt as if my spiritual quest got quenched and a positive vibe just wrapped around me.
I wanted to unravel this mystery of what is so good about this place that it is attracting infinite numbers every single day of year. As I was catching up with few knowledgeable oldies, I was told that the possible cause could be the powerful Sree chakram beneath the deity, which radiates positive energy and vibrations constantly. To add further, this tiny instrument was spelt with the powers of attracting people and money. So no wonder, if you observe the amount of funds the God receives. Also, it is believed that the God can heal almost any issue on this planet and has been proved umpteen times. I am not sure of these powers, but visiting the place makes you spell bound and an unknown bliss bubbles up revitalizing you to face the life.
All I can say is pray for a re-visit of this place and experience an unexplainable relaxation.
Here's a brief account of someone really special to me...
He loves us more than his own children.
He walks by a stick but he stands very firm when it means moral support!
Share a problem and you can see him think, analyse real deep and he gets to the bottom of it in no time! Experience speaks there!
Can you match up to his courtesy, manners and etiquette? We may be a different generation, but good manners with patience and not pretentious is surely possible with oldies.
He reads news paper, cover by cover and shares only the news that is relevant to each family member.
He makes friends instantly and laughs constantly forgetting numerous miseries fighting within him.
He wakes up much before all of us and welcomes everyday with increased enthusiasm.
He lived yesterday, experiencing today and started imagining tomorrow.
I am talking about my cool grandpa who is 81 years old and is absolutely 18 @ heart!!
Rann unveils the scandal of a news channel which is well-regarded for its values and integrity.
AB plays the owner of this overly honest newschannel which raves only the truth and is about to run into losses because of its poor TRP rates. His son(played by Sudeep) remedies the situation by introducing few spicy political tabloids by disguising them as true-to-their-origin types to his Dad. Despite being a seasoned journalist, who is known for his investigative skills and values to project only the truth, AB bows down to his son’s cajoling words! While we are lost analyzing this baseless logic of believing some godforsaken video…AB and son continue the story, rather weave interest around it and present it in the benefit of the curtained politician(Paresh Rawal). AB continues to be oblivious to the sudden increase in TRPs and basks away in the glory of his news channel’s success. A budding journalist (played by ritesh) probes into this, discovers the truth and discloses it to AB himself after realizing the bitterness in the news media. AB gets the shock of his life and then confronts the then-truth as lies! This ends the story in brief! Now don’t ask me what Rajatkapoor, Neetuchandra, Gulpanag, Suchitra Krishnamurthy are doing in this film.
Now talking about the technical aspects
Background – Harsh! The subtle contemporaries are still missing at many places
Music – forget it!
Direction – Characterization was senseless, I didn’t see any jaw-dropping performances or narration
Story – Worth it….but should have been presented in a thought-provoking way. It is a gripping subject which can bring in a lot of difference! Somehow, the vigor of the film got faded away by intermission and was lost in many characters
Performances –
AB – The character in the story reflected a lot of strength, but not his role! He remained serious mostly with very little to express. Perhaps, Varma could have elicited a better performance from him
Ritesh – Not convincing enough to be a journalist!
Sudeep – He acted well, but the looks sported were not catchy. The half-shaven, shabby-haired look didn’t go well with the role of New channel Head! His language carried a heavy tamil accent, the diction should have been taken care!
Others – other than drooling their eyes, I didn’t find any great expressions :P
Cinematography – Audience had high expectations, as this flick is from the prestigious Varma group which is known for its take of camera! Although, I personally found few interesting odd angles in few scenes, many didn’t appreciate this! The take is considered as amateurish!
On the whole, an average movie to watch for!
- Finish off the homework before 6 pm, only to play the OUTDOOR games with friends
- Every Saturday was so special, as it was the only non-school uniform day and the students were at their civilian best
- We waited long to wear that new dress on the religious festivals
- All the national festivals were celebrated in their true letter and spirit
- Heavy power-cuts never really mattered as we were totally occupied with innumerable board and oral games
- The regional movie telecasted on Sunday evenings was something I never wanted to miss
- Recalling TV shows like Surabhi, Jungle-book, Bharat ek khoj, Chitrahaar, Rangoli, Fauji, Dekh bhai Dekh, Malgudi Days generates fresh positive vibes till date
- Reader’s Digest and Youngworld were must-reads
- Religious festivals had sweetness in the air and the day was meant for meeting elders to seek their blessings
- The 10rupee notes that were given by the guests as a token of affection
- The Earthen Piggy banks used to store coins is of special mention
- The pride in our eyes when we stood first in school
Feel free to add to the list..
