In Bangalore whenever I sit infront of the TV June comes and switches it off. On a recent trip to Kolkata I watched the television after a gap of 1 month.First it was Zee Sa Re Ga Ma. For half an hour I was witness to the two finalists coming back to their hometown before the final showdown. We were being taken to the contestants' bedroom to peek at their very public and enacted display of private emotions. Through the one hour I still could not hear them sing. But I did hear Pooja Bhatt with her cavity ridden teeth and come-hither voice titilating the contestants with her encouragements.
Next in line, the sports editors' current obsession. The headline screamed "Sourav dropped from test squad against England". The analysis was in full swing. Mr. More - the saviour of Indian cricket was explaining the nuances. Mighty Greg was consulted alright and so was the Oh-So-Nice and Oh-So-Politically correct captain of Sourav's Team India.
I jumped channel and landed into the lap of NDTV - a channel I used to admire at one point of time. No more now inspite of the sophistication of Mr. Roy. I was into Dial 100 - the crime program of NDTV India - Hindi. Sample their first 4 reports.
Place: Ujjain
Crime: Murder by stabbing in front of a school gate in broad daylight
Victim: 16 year School student
Accused: 2 friends of the student studying in the same school
The accused were on camera describing how they stabbed their friend to death and made their escape. These teenagers did not have the slightest trace of fear or uncertainty on their face.
Place: Kanpur
Crime: Kidnapping & Subsequent Murder
Victim: A school studentAccused: 4 classmates of the student
They abducted their friend for the lure of lucre. Unfortunately things did not fall in place and they had to kill. Problem amongst the 4 friends resulted in their landing in the jail.The accused were again shown on camera talking about their act. Only 1 of the 4 accused was feeling uncomfortable appearing on air.
Place: Nasik
Crime: Rape & Murder
Victim: A 4 year girl
Accused: Unknown
The victims body was found on field in a completely mutilated state like so many more that are found scattered and distributed around the country.
Place: Lucknow
Crime: Not Clear
Victim: A 5 year old deadbody
Accused: unknown
A man was jailed in 1945 for murder. 5 years into the trial the accused was declared mentally ill. He was admitted to the jail hospital. Nothing came of his trial and he was not charged. But neither was he released. His physical death occured in 1999. His body was sent to the Lucknow Medical College hospital for post mortem. Due to some "procedural" issues that too got stalled. His body is now in no man's zone. The Medical college is medicating the body and cannot let it rot. Through the faded out pictures that were being aired one could see a skeleton like remain not more the 4 and half feet in length. The police is not willing to claim it back. The once upon a time man was still being kept alive in his death. The TV for a moment looked like a coffin.
I switched it off. Thanks to June I do not have to suffer it when I am in Bangalore.
5 comments:
i have a very simple solution for u. start drinking regularly in the evenings. try it out.
I completely agree with you. The 'Content is the King'. But as u got June to rescue , I choose certain TV progs to do the needfull. I always keep an eye on bbc's clickonline, ndtv's Gadget Guru, Dicovery - travel and living, Star One's Laughter Challenge, Cartoon networks's Tom & Jerry, and so on. :)
Now you know why Bruce Springsteen sang, "Fifty-seven channels and nothing's on."
hi kaushik,
this is the first time i came to your blog andi liked it.
you have a nice comfy feeling in your writing. almost like talking to a friend. liked it.
personally i don't like watching tv except discovery and nat geo, radio (i mean shortwave radio listening) is a nice habit though.
Thanks ghetufool. I dont think I know you personally. But that doesnt matter in bloggerdom. Its best left that way. I visited you blog. I couldnt find a long sentence in most of post. That explains the affinity.
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