TV, the idiot box, has really made us idiots

Television has been a great help in many areas. It has a fantastic reach and in India, it used to be a tool of education. In its infancy, it was the Doordarshan. ‘Door’ meant distant and ‘darshan’ meant view – in short, it was to bring people closer. Accordingly, in the initial stages, the television was black and white. Its purpose was to bring people together and share important messages. There were slots reserved for entertainment and the fare dished out had variety. Moreover, there were restrictions on the length of programs. These were of 13 episodes spread over as many weeks. Obviously, those who produced those had to be careful about quality. A few programs went beyond the limitations and still managed to keep the audience waiting for more. Those were like the epics Ramayan, Mahabharat and social dramas like Buniyad. Then there were lovable serials like Mungerilal, Malgudi Days, Hum Paanch, Aisa bhi hota hai etcetera,

However, once the TV sets shifted from the B&W era into the color era and the DTH option arrived, viewers had plenty of choice. Rooftop tube antennas made way for the dish, the number of TV channels increased several fold as did the number of serials on offer. It became a 24X7 affair and the reach crossed geographical boundaries. Viewers in UK and USA could enjoy homemade serials. As a result, the demand for new faces increased and grooming centers mushroomed, choreographers flourished as did beauty parlors. These brought with them dangers of exploitation of a section of artistes, especially of the fairer sex. As for the TV serials, a time is gradually coming when producers appear to be running out of ideas. The viewer is not worried – he can switch channels. When it comes to the news, it has been reduced to a propaganda machine for those who rule. Others have to grin and bear it. Of course, newsreaders are happy – many of them, who have talent, switch channels. Sad to say, we have become idiots because of not only the TV but also because of the social media.

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