That Fragrance on Indian TV...



I am not a TV buff. Actually I used to be one. Now I don't care much. But yes I have few favorite shows still and but I am not hooked onto them. In other words if I miss one episode, I don't care. Now I mostly watch Travel shows, Food shows or Music shows like Coke Studio or Unplugged. I do not follow hugely popular Big Boss or Roadies or any other "reality show". There was a time I could spend hours on TV watching this serial, this reality show, that talent hunt. My mother would be fed up. My earliest memory of TV are the shows like Fairy Tale Theatre, Vikram Betaal, Dada Dadi ki kahaniyan. I used to spend all my Sunday afternoons watching those award winning regional films. Those were the best days of Doordarshan. Then cable TV came to India and the scenario changed. So many channels so many shows to watch. Along with many shows that time, I even watched Zee Horror show and Ahaat . I loved Hum Paanch, Saans, Kora Kagaz, Shanti. There were shows that portrayed such strong women characters. I shudder to think how did we manage to come from Shanti and Priya ( characters which made Mandira Bedi and Neena Gupta hugely popular) to Nagins and Kaala Tika ( black spot!). Should  I still care to know which show comes on which channel? BTW I know of this shows because since there is nothing much on TV, I just flip through channels and giving each one about 2 minutes. I am referring to GECs here.



So 'If I Could Create A TV Show’ what type of a show will I create? Hmm Let me think.

If I could create a TV show I think I will create a show like Surabhi.  I think many of my age will know which show I am referring to. Surabhi means Fragrance and this show spread such a fragrance across the country which many people still remembers well.This is the cult show which used come on Doordarshan and made Renuka Sahane and Siddharth Kak, the hosts, household names. It was a show everyone in our family would sit together and watch . Renuka Sahane, her bright smile and awesome handloom sarees were what the ladies used to talk about. And Siddharth Kak with his wit and gentle humour made the show a cult one. He was also the producer of the show.

The famous hosts. 

This Culture Magazine showed a part of India in each episode which the rest of India looked forward to see and know about, week after week. The stories, the views, the famous quiz at the end of each episode all were so interesting. Everyone would learn something at the end of each episode. I remember in one episode it showed Avadh Assam Express, then an incredulously slow train. I am not sure if the situation has improved now. I hope so. But that was a sadly hilarious feature to which all in our home in Dibrugarh laughed and felt bad too.

And who can forget that famous title music. It can still transform me to my teen years and those glorious days of Doordarshan and Television in India over all.

Here have a look and listen.

Surabhi ran for 9 seasons and from DD it moved to Star Plus later. But the show ended in 2001 and that's why we miss it.

And most importantly,  'If I Could Create A TV Show’ it will end too after a decent number of episodes. There may be seasons 1,2,3, till 50. But each season must end after 20-25 episodes. 

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.




20Feb'16

Long Way from Chocolates,Mushy Cards and Teddy Bears - Vday my way

Who said on every Valentine day you have to do what the whole world ,( ok most of the world) does. Who decided that love can be expressed by chocolates, roses and a cosy candle light dinner at a fancy restaurant only. And more importantly who ever thought of the idea of burning a deep hole in to your pockets / purses every V day. Just forget about that person now and let's think about some other ways to show your love.


When this wonderful and unusual prompt was suggested by Blog Adda, I decided to don my thinking cap and came up with these :




PS: I am married and hence one might find my ideas are mostly for a married couple.




1. Get up early and go for a morning walk together. Yes even if you do that everyday, do that today too. If you spend 30 minutes walking at the garden, make that to 45 minutes. That extra 15 minutes, just sit together after the walk and hold hands. So what if today is Sunday and it's chutti day from morning walk. Make an exception.




2. Make breakfast together. My man cooks really well. So I can confidently say if I chose to make only tea and he takes it upon himself to "make breakfast" it will be awesome. The role can be reversed if that suits you. Come on, make green tea with a tea bag if you find that easier. Man! BTW I made breakfast and P made masala tea just the way he likes it.




3. Why not let the Bai also enjoy the day of love with her special someone. Go ahead, give her a chutti. Do the house hold chores together for today. See how it feels.




4. For today, whosoever usually dominates the TV on a Sunday, please make some adjustments. I guess with the cricket matches on air, the man will be pining for the remote anyway. Mine did; for the Under 20 finals and India lost!




5. How about a home beauty treatment session for a couple. Here's a quick home remedy to clean up your face and rejuvenate the tired eyes. Get few table spoons of besan and add 2 table spoon of curd. Make a smooth paste and apply that on face avoiding eyes and till your neck. Cut 2 slices of a cucumber and cover your eyes. Lie down for 15-20 minutes and wash with cold water. Voila. You just saved Rs.1500/-




6. Go out and do some grocery shopping together. When you are at this, you can always get a rose or a bunch of his/her favorite flower from the neighbourhood flower guy. Make his day too. Yeah, before you ask us, we did.

7. Now decide; if that's his favorite for lunch and her favorite for dinner or vice versa. What we did, we skipped a heavy lunch as we planned to have a special dinner of both our favoruite dish Pasta with mushroom.




8. That afternoon siesta which working people like us long for. After lunch weight gain if you sleep and blah blah. Forget for today please. If not siesta, just get together and plan for the next holiday. Almost all airlines in India, has special offers for V day. Browse through them and plan your next trip together.

9. Now this completely what happened at my home. Slowly as the V day heading towards end, P sat in front of the TV watching cricket match while I sat to finish my pending works. I had to write this too! But yeah, P is taking charge of the kitchen and making pasta. The wine is already in the freeze, I have done my bit of cleaning the mushrooms and peeling the garlic. Rest over to P.

One additional as a gift to everyone on the day of love




10. Head out to defend all the poor couples who get harassed by the moral police and self appointed conscience keepers of our nation.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.






14th Feb '16

I am me

I am me  ( Not a poem)

I was born a daughter

I became a sister

Then a girl friend and one day

I became a wife

I slipped into being a daughter in law

From sister to sister in law

But I was always a girl

As I grew to be a woman

A girl who sings, laughs,  runs, jumps and dreams.

I am special because

I remain me.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

Mary had a little lamb

              

         At the stroke of midnight, I woke up with a startle. Oh God, I have fallen asleep while reading this book and with lights on. I got down from the bed to go to the bathroom before switching off the light and going back to sleep. As I entered the bathroom, a little voice came drifting from downstairs..

   "Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow. 
    And everywhere that Mary went, Mary went, Mary went, 
    Everywhere that Mary went.
    The lamb was sure to go."

               Must be some parents coming from some weekend party and making their child recite the nursery rhyme while they park their car. What the hell, now this is taking things too far. You are making your child practicing her nursery rhymes in the middle of the night. I will check with the watchman tomorrow morning I thought.

               I went to back my bedroom, turned off the light and lie down on the bed. Then I realised that I stay in the 13th Floor and there is no way I could hear sound from parking lot. Also the flat exactly below my flat is unoccupied.

            I froze.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

The Phone and I

Tring  - Tring , the phone rang...I woke up with a startle. Blinking for few seconds I tried to realise what was going on. First I thought I was hallucinating. After all I was forced to open my eyes right in the middle of my afternoon siesta. Not just any siesta but my hard earned Sunday afternoon siesta ; a luxury for us office going people.

Irritated I picked it up and spat " Yeah".
From the other end a female voice asked " Mangal hai kya?" ( Is Mangal there?)
"Who Mangal? Wrong number." I disconnected.

Tring - Tring , the phone rang again after 15 - 20 minutes. 

"Hello" I didnt even bother opening my eyes.
" Mira road se bol rahe hai na." ( You are speaking from Mira Road, right?) the same voice.
" Ji nahin Aunty, main Mira Road se nahin, apni muh se bol rahi hoon. Aap please number check kijiye dial karne se pehle." ( No Aunty, I am speaking from my mouth not Mira Road. Please check the number before dialing.)
 Few moments of stunned silence before the call was disconnected.

And I went back to my sleep before the Sunday afternoon turned to evening and night and then the " Khooni Monday morning".

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda