TV Darshan

I met someone in Chennai last month. He told me that he has seen only doordarshan in his entire life. No cable, no Tata sky, hell not much of big screen as well. Just the traditional antenna lying idle in the terrace with some crow shit. And then, something suddenly struck me like the low wavelength doordarshan antenna. Everything about his character suddenly made sense to me. And somehow, lot of it had to do with the fact that he has seen only doordarshan through out his life.

And then, I suddenly gazed upon myself. I was a couch potato. At least when I wasn't playing or fooling around. A special bond definitely exists between I & TV. A bond, which is way more stronger than C-H bonds in the benzene ring :P. I still remember the moments where I've been watching Cartoon Network from morning 9 to the evening 7, only to stop as Dad would then be back from work. Its still very vivid in my head. The 2 Sharjah knocks by Sachin to lead India triumph is still so much in vicinity of my life. It's as if it just happened yesterday. But yet, events of yesterday haven't really gotten registered anywhere.

Here's my personal list of how TV has played such an important part of my life:

1. It established the connection that Appa & I have today. We've seen so many classic Tamil Movies together, and when I hear detailed descriptions of the scene that my dad gives, I somehow instantaneously share his emotion.

2. The innumerable cricket matches that I've seen. I used to put alarm at 3am back in the days of Ghana, and catch up with the Australia India test match. I would sleep, only to wanting to wake up to catch the game live.

3. Cartoons. It was almost considered a sin to watch cartoons while growing up. My case was no different. But, whatever ability I have now to read people & appreciate characters, I owe it to the numerable characters on the screen. My favourite ones are Top Cat, The Flinstones & Scooby Doo.

4. Manchester United - If there is anything I am passionate about in life, it is Manutd. Most of my high school went in playing soccer, and analyzing the matches. I was in a fantasy league of my own, where of course, I was the manager, not Sir Alex.

5.  News - All of us criticize the media. Hell, even I do. But, there is nothing like the awesome debates that come up time to time and then I actually get the political drama in my head going strong.

6. TV Shows - I started watching lot of TV shows only from college. It was initially for recreation, but then some shows like HOUSE MD actually gets you thinking so much. In many ways, the entire thought process gets shaken up, and one begins to discover so many things that way.

All this & more have affected the way I think now and it's brilliant. People laughed at me when I gifted myself a gigantic TV with my first salary. But hey, I am just doing a darshan.

A TV Darshan to myself.

But, what is the bigger picture? Whatever that is shown on TV is there. It is out there for us to interpret it in whatever way we can. We have the freedom to do that. I see myself as a character out there in one of the shows. Many people are watching. Some see it live, and some carry forward it in their thoughts & actions. But then, what is it that really matters? Is it the rendering of information out there? Or is it the drama that each one of us can put out there. What is it?

Go get the goddamn remote & find out!