Junglebook, Mahabharata, Alloo prantha and a game of cricket…..

The other day I was sitting with my friends and we were having beer and listening to music on youtube. Suddenly one of my friends mentioned about a song that used to come on Doordarshan when we were kids. It was called “Ek Chidiya Anek Chidiya”. Thanks to youtube, we were able to find that song and we saw it all over again. Everyone was quiet and watching it, each one taken to his own childhood. I am sure we all got nostalgic.

And suddenly within minutes I was shipped to the “Doordarshan Era”. The time when Chitrahar was awaited for the entire week, even though it was merely on for 30 min and just had hindi movie songs. But such was the charm of TV and the programs then. Even something like Saptahiki (Weekly TV guide) had a cult following. Who can forget the Malgudi days?
It made me think, where had that charm vanished now? Why don’t I get excited about watching something as simple as movie music on TV? I decided to stop thinking about it then in order to continue enjoying my beer. However, I did make mental note of it and decided to think about it when I was on my own.

So here I am on a Saturday evening sipping yet another beer and writing this. I am thinking about a typical Sunday I used to have when I was in school. Sunday mornings were all about the Junglebook, Mahabharata, Alloo Parantha and a game of cricket. That was the time when I used to look forward to Sundays. It was a family day and a friends’ day. There was something special about each Sunday though most of the activities were the same.

I think as the time passed apart from age there was something else that took the charm from the ever green Sundays. I think as we started having more options. With each new option we moved away from the basics.

To be continued….