My next door neighbour, old Mrs Rao, was in a tizzy the other day. The reason? Her set top box had crashed and she just could not bear missing her daily dose of the Tulsi's and Parvati's that dot the silver screen.
Well the cable guy was called, a temporary set top box fixed and Mrs Rao settled down, another afternoon lost in the world of the tube.
It just got me thinking that gone are the days when you were forced to watch Hum Log or Chitrahaar on Doordarshan for lack of more interesting programming. Gone are the days when you would trundle to the nearest VCR rental store and borrow a movie tape for Rs 10 a day.
The advent of cable TV has changed the way India views the tube. The idiot box in your bedroom is much more intelligent now. Television show producers understand you, the viewer, perceive your choice and churn out exactly what you demand.
The viewer is no longer a faceless entity. He now has an identity - an individual who needs to be understood and catered to.
He now needs more than the first spark -- which camee 21 years ago in the '80s when colour TV was introduced by state owned DD. The Government soon opened up its avenues and private enterprises soon came into the picture (literally) and satellite television was born in the early '90s.
Today, 21 years into the world of moving images, there is something for everyone to see on TV. Young, middle-aged or old, television has something on offer for everyone.
There is reality TV for the whole family, talent hunts which have aspirational value. Their message -- you and I can become stars.
There are soap operas for the bored. The Ekta Kapoor genre of shows and their uncanny way of creating characters that -- though larger than life -- nonetheless make sure that the audiences identify with them in some way or the other.
It's either that bitchy sister-in-law that you so relish bashing when chatting with friends (because maybe your own is like that), or it is that conniving uncle-aunt pair hankering after an innocent girl's property.
There is ownership of television characters, comparison with them -- though don't be flattered if your mother-in-law thinks you are a bit like Kamolika of Kasautii Zindagi Kay.
Your parents might be hip and happening, dynamic executives and chic to the core, but they rush home in time to catch Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin followed by the daily dose of Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond and then some news.
And it's not just the any old news. 24*7 news channels offer a wide variety of news items from all over the world.There are serious debates for intellectuals, sports news for fanatics, city news, environment news, sensational news and even boring political pieces -- if it's even halfway important, it's in the news.
As the parents wind up for the night, the kids enjoy a quick cartoon before being shooed off to bed -- ah! which channel was that Tom & Jerry on again? Pogo, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network or Disney?
Early morning is the grandparent's time. Gone are the days when the loving grandmother sat you on her lap and read the Ramayan out to you. Oh, the grandmother is as loving as ever. It's simply the style of storytelling that has undergone a change. Now, instead of reading out aloud, grandma simply clicks on Aastha or Sanskar channel and voila! there is that Ramayan on TV - ready to watch.
This is followed by a quick yoga aasna, courtesy Swami Ramdev demonstrating the same in your living room.
And for the weekends when multiplexes seem too far off and the thought of standing in line to buy a movie ticket absolutely dismal, there is your very own satellite dish which allows you to rent and watch latest flicks for a mere Rs 75 - all at the touch of your remote.
There are chat shows and intellectual debates, travel shows and cookery shows, shows that teach one how to woo your partner, shows that are all about your favourite music, shows that offer you instant fame and money, shows that leave you with a sense purpose (and some that make no sense), shows that make your skin crawl, shows that make your blood go cold, health shows, tech shows, game shows, reality shows, fact, fiction, news and views -- cable TV has everything on offer for everyone.
The idiot box is here to stay, changing, diversifying and roping in the viewer - educated and uneducated alike!
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