Sitting in the privacy of my bed room, as I surf scores of television channels and OTT platforms to watch the program of my choice on a high-definition LED flat screen, I recall my growing up days.
I remember a big Murphy radio, as big as a television, occupying a place of pride in our drawing room till mid- 70s. That was the time when for all of the news, views and entertainment broadcast, there was one and only one All India Radio. While, we, the children were interested in film songs, my father would never miss news, especially the morning English bulletin. Our interests clashed but one program that the entire family enjoyed together was a skit based program Hawa Mahal aired at night. My personal favourite was Sound track, an hour long program based on film story. Much to the annoyance of my father, every Sunday, with my ears glued to the radio, I would listen to the film story at a volume so low that no one else could hear.
In the early 70s, pocket- size transistors entered the Indian market and became a craze. We would constantly change the position and direction of the transistor; adjust its frequencies to get clear sound. Those were the days when we would discreetly smuggle pocket- size transistors to the class to have sneak-peek at the score during the cricket matches. I just can’t forget how a fire-brand friend of mine banged a transistor when India lost a match against Pakistan.
Towards the late 70s, when long antennae started dotting the landscape of Jalandhar, a black & white television with wooden shutters replaced our grand old Murphy radio. But viewing television in those days was a challenging task, needing a lot of patience and maneuvering. Every now and then somebody had to climb on the roof top to adjust the direction of the antenna. Often we would slap the T.V to adjust the picture. Eventually when the reception was clear, we would merrily settle down to watch the program but there was hardly anything to choose from. The telecast was limited to just a few hours in the evening. As a youngster I was crazy for Chitrahar, a half –an- hour weekly programme based on film songs. I remember how we waited for the Sunday movie which the entire family watched together huddled in front of the television set. Nostalgia grips me when I recall the magical spell of the DD classics like Ham Log (1984), Buniyaad (1986), Ramayan (1987 – 1988), Mahabharat (1988 – 1990).
Today, with round-the-clock telecast on hundreds of television channels, it is a problem of plenty. I am spoilt for choice with a long list of movies and umpteen shows on web-platforms hailed as ‘binge watch’. Streaming giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Sony telecast thrillers that keep the viewers on tenterhooks, but the shows full of violence, sex, nudity and foul language are not my cup of tea. I am nostalgic about the sweet and simple classics of yesteryears.
(Published in Deccan Herald Tuesday March 1, 2022)
