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.