Doordarshan’s 'Epic' Gift

 

 

“Count your blessings with gratitude no matter how small or big they are, and stop letting your lacks blindfold you from noticing how blessed that you are”, they say. Counting ones blessings is a barometer of mental health. Unfortunately, all that we do is to count struggles, challenges and obstacles. While the earth spun around itself with its designated motion and speed, the life on earth was spinning with an unimaginable frenzy and pace until just a few weeks back. Today as the nature carries on with its routine, life’s roller-coaster has come to a standstill. Though this pandemic poses a substantial threat to the human race, we also need to take cognizance of the assuring fact that most of us are locked inside the confines of our “secure” abode with all basic needs and few luxury facilities being taken care of. Over and above that, to avoid boredom we are “blessed” with media and entertainment at our finger tips.

 

 

 

Mobiles, laptops and television have become the go-to devices for Indians seeking entertainment, information and news in the times of Coronavirus lockdown. A massive increase in readers seeking books in digital format is indeed heartening, but majority of the population still prefers “watching” their favorite shows and movies of all times on Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon Prime, Zee5, MX Player and their likes.

 

In the past two decades or so, multiple private TV channels popped up all the way on the horizon on Indian television thus pushing Government’s public service broadcaster Doordarshan far behind. In the era of growing digitalization, these channels were soon challenged by the digital channels and OTT Platforms that literally swept the carpet off the feet of these channels.

 

Life comes in a full circle, they say. As the country faces lockdown in these turbulent times, there has been a sudden surge of people’s demand for a re-telecast of the epic serials of yesteryears that marked Doordarshan’s golden era – the Mahabharat and Ramayana. Twitter was literally flooded with these demands and voila – Prasar Bharati has announced the reruns of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana (originally aired in 1987) and B.R.Chopra’s Mahabharat ( originally aired in 1988). It feels surreal to many like me who were born in the 70s and 80s and before, who have witnessed the hypnotic effect of these two mega serials back in time then.

 

 

Today, majority of citizens are being forced to stay indoors, in order to avoid transmission of coronavirus. In late 80s, there was a time majority of citizens chose to stay indoors voluntarily to watch these mega mythologies on their television sets. It wasn’t less than any “Self-Quarantine” where streets, cities, temples, shops, theatres stood deserted during the telecast time of these serials. People even chose to postpone or prepone the wedding “muhurtas” to avoid facing an almost empty marriage hall. Such was the impact of the stimulus these serials managed to stir across the whole of India. Popularity of these shows can be gauged by the fact that the Electricity Departments dared not to give any electric cut during this time since people would get furious over it.

We Indians are ruled by emotions and when it comes to our culture and traditions, these emotions skyrocket to another level. Before these serials were aired most of us had only read these epics or stories related to them. Occasional plays or Ramleelas were the only way of coming vis-à-vis with the characters earlier, but after Ramayana was aired Arun Govil, Deepika and Niteesh Bharadwaj literally became the face of Ram, Seeta and Krishna respectively for Indians for eons to come. People believed, if Sita Ram or Krishna exists then they must be looking like them. Why alone these heroes, even Ravana and Duryodhana made lasting impression on people’s minds. The castings were impeccable.

 

People who had the luxury of owning a television set were considered to be the elite class and the others in the mohallas gathered at their places to sit and watch the shows together. People who then did not own TV specially bought one. Ramayana and Mahabharata on television brought together families and people. There was an invisible common thread that converged the walks of life together for people - Old, Young , Children, Men, Women, Rich and Poor alike. The shows not only narrated our prolific histories, they also weaved the fabric of “Indianness” once again in the society. People used to break coconut before the shows started or lightened a diya. I remember my grandmother folding her hands in a “namaskar” and bow her head every time Ram or Krishna appeared on the screen.

 

Nostalgia sweeps in, and how. As people demand a re-telecast of these shows, I can’t help but ponder what actually triggered this demand. Is it because of the recent appearance of Ramayana’s cast on a famous comedy show? Or is it that people are bored of binge watching uncensored run-of-a-mill kind of web series portraying hooliganism, infidelity, use of cuss words all as a sign of “modernism”? Are the demands an outcome of conversations over family dinners where parents described their childhood to their children and wanted to share a piece of it with them? Or are people finally getting aware of content that remains as fresh and relevant as ever over years and decades? Whatever the reason be, I am glad to see a symbolic flashback of my life once again through these reruns.

 

 

While I respect binge watchers of all shows – be it Friends, Gray’s Anatomy, Game of Thrones and our own Sacred Games, Family Man, Inside Edge – and many more as I am sure they are bonded by some emotion, I hope that this welcome change opens a path of re-telecasting other teleserials that had more substance like Chanakya, Bharat Ek Khoj, Shriman Shrimati, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Nukkad, Fauji and Malgudi days. Watch out people – Doordarshan is back !! Sitting in the “security” of my home, I count my blessings once again. Thank god for technology, television and the (re) telecasts.