Tribune News Service

Manmeet Singh Gill

Amritsar, November 21

As World Television Day was observed on Monday, it was also time for some stock taking with new gadgets restricting the need for it if not totally doing away with it. While the ‘Idiot Box’ continues to remain popular with new television sets with big screens aided by technology making the viewing more entertaining, TV also faces the threat of growing redundancy with smartphones and computers providing a parallel and powerful platform for the daily dose of entertainment and information. Old-timers however continue to be nostalgic about the time when they used to wait for months to watch a new movie telecast by Doordarshan even as separate movie channels in different languages have proliferated.

Senior citizens recalled that those were the days when television antennas required adjusting every now and then to get a clear picture. DTH and cable service have done away with the problem as also the increase in number of TV towers for better connectivity. Senior citizens regret that one thing that television used to provide was quality family time when everybody would sit together to watch their favourite soap opera. Youngsters now prefer their personal gadgets over sitting alongside the family. Watching TV together was a daily ritual then in most households, summed up Harish Behal, an octogenarian.

As 40-year-old Satvir said, “My favourite show as a kid was Ainak Wala Jin which was aired by Pakistan Television every Friday evening. We used to adjust TV antenna every week to watch the show.” Living in a village alongside international border with Pakistan, Satvir said, “At that time, Doordarshan was the only channel available. While elders then used to watch Pakistani serials as Dhuwan and Marvi, the kids loved Ainak Wala Jin. We used to adjust antenna every evening to watch Pakistani TV dramas.”

Back in country, those were the days when towns and cities would come to a standstill at the time the epic Mahabharat and Ramayana was aired. Joginder Nath, another elderly, said, “If people were out of their homes, they would gather outside shops to watch the epic drama. The shopkeepers too obliged and everybody remained glued to the television till the show was aired. ”

Seniors complained that now television is used only to watch prime time news debates and listen to news broadcasts only though much depends on personal preferences because of the surfeit of channels. While any movie, serial or documentary is just a click away now, old-timers stated that they used to wait for weeks for their favorite movie to be aired on television.

“I still remember the time when Doordarshan was to air the popular and hit movie Bobby in a late night telecast. We had started asking for permission from our parents weeks in advance,” said Balbir Singh, a 52-year-old. It was the early days of television in the country engendering interest and nostalgia with the medium and people associated with it, with the changes also symbolising the changing value system and social mores.