Chocolicious !!

They say, its very difficult to forget your first love and its absolutely true.. My first love happened at quite an early age when i was 5. I still remember the very first time when i laid my eyes on it. It was my first shopping trip (duh ! girls can't resist shopping even when they are 5 :).. ). I was walking down the street holding my mother's hand trying to absorb everything around me. My mother was busy in her daily shopping and i was trying to help her out ( yeah at least i thought so) . I was roaming in the shop trying to copy my mother, it was then i saw sitting prettily on a shelf, wrapped in golden paper and red bow, staring at me was my love - Chocolates.. There were so many of them, all in different sizes, shapes and colour. Just by getting a glimpse of her, I started to drool inside my mouth, like a bone-deprived puppy. I could have done anything just to hold her in my hands. I know it is so unimaginable to think that one can become a thieving criminal for the love and passion for chocolates. But that's the power of Love my friend.

The moment our eyes met, our love affair started and is continued till date. Chocolates are a delicious and tempting species which are irresistible. I buy them, as if there will be no next time. My eyes feast on the beautiful bite-size pieces which are wrapped in intricately designed chocolate boxes. It is almost painful to take a bite because they are so beautiful. The skin so supple and soft.

They say, it's a sin to give in to your temptations, but this sin i am ready to commit over and over again.

Nostalgia.. !!

Television, today, has taken the entertainment industry to an absolutely new level. At the time when the big screen is sporting the de – glam look, television is getting high on glamor quotient. Right from the serials to the outfits worn by the actors to the commercials being telecast-ed, everything has become glamorized and the oomph factor has increased manifolds. The West is being completely and blindly emulated and the international appeal has become a must. Suddenly, the real world seems unreal and we find ourselves completely immersed in the lives of Tulsis and Parvatis of television where their happiness has become synonym to ours and their glycerin tears find its way in to our own eyes as real tears. The television commercials, too, have caught up with the trend and the Saree clad protagonist has given way to mini – skirt and bikini models.

Amongst all this unreality of so - called “Reality TV”, we do miss the good old pre-cable days, where the contents were simple and realistic, making our Doordarshan Experience unforgettable. How can we forget Chitrahaar, Malgudi Days, Hum Log and Ramayan, which brought the entire family together, in front of one TV set. Another major contributing factor to this unique TV experience was the Indian Ads which were finest and iconic. They were real, they were rural and most importantly they were truly Indian. These Ads had an emotional connect with the audience and highlighted few of the social issues which were always in the thoughts but never spoken out loud. One such popular Ad was Surf ki Lalitaji, played by the protagonist of then famous tele series Udaan. Lalitaji was shown as an everyday housewife who bargained hard, demanded good quality product and decided for herself whether the product is right and according to her specification or not. This Ad depicted women as a strong decision making force. To continue this trend of social messages, Priya Gold Biscuits featured late Priya Tendulkar, of Rajani fame, in their Ad stating “Haq Se Mango”. Rajani was chosen because she was popular with middle class and was someone who stood for middle class rights. The Ad encouraged people to stand up for themselves and demand what is rightfully theirs.

Such was the beauty of those classic old times that even now when we think about them it brings a smile to our face. It not only reminds us of the evergreen TV cinema but also makes us visit our childhood memories which revolve around these Doordarshan Days.