In and out the idiot box !

Television is not only a source of visual entertainment but a means of relieving boredom. There exists the old school, which believes in reviving tradition and in remaining deep rooted followed by the new school, which is into glorifying anything and everything to gain viewership. I was surprised to see a leading actress and her fiancé face the heat in a recent interview on a leading Malayalam channel. Their romance was being publicly exposed, imposing questions on its credibility like, if the actress took the right decision by getting engaged to a married man who was seeking divorce from his first wife. There were rebellious justifications from the couple's side followed by fiery questions by the journalist. The couple shared their happy times which were juxtaposed with tears, too. I couldn't understand the big scene that was created to entice spectators. It's a fact that the couple faced this interview with courage and the demeaning process of exposing their personal space was done with their consent. But, the channel would have never come up with such a steaming concept if there weren't any spectators, right? What fun do we, as spectators, get in showing such worthless curiosity in someone's agony? I mean, coming to think of it, whether they get married or not is really not our business!! What have we come down to as viewers, and most importantly as humans?

 Are we running out of talent, or is it just a coincidence that reality shows have been shelved to weekends due to lack of viewership? I have nothing against them, just that they are a little too glittery in my otherwise lucid life. I have a feeling that spectators are taken for granted too often that we're expected to lick every bit of the dish they serve. I know it's easier to shut up and change into some channel that satisfies me in a better way. But, what is it that actually satisfies us? Watching a star couple being cross questioned over their marital decisions? Certainly not. Or maybe, yes! Then it's time to start worrying about what we have become.

Even in the recent Guwahati molestation case, though the girl's face was blurred, her stripping was evident in the video which was being replayed throughout the day. It was Times Now that took the humbling decision of not telecasting it anymore, as it made no sense. While we may never stop referring to the TV as the 'Idiot box' .. who are the actual idiots here - creative channel people who cater such insensitivity , or the viewers who buy it ?!?

Problem child

Here I am, bed ridden with one of the most easily communicable sicknesses, the common cold. In the silence of my bedroom, I seek something beyond the ticking of the clock to accompany my loneliness. I am, interestingly, on a self-discovery mode. Having experienced a cold-prone childhood, ice creams and other cold savouries were told to be my perennial enemies. Little did my parents know that I would outsmart them into including these edibles in my regular diet, so much so that now I am daring enough to have one even on the day of my concerts! Don't get me started on how good I sound on all those occasions ;)
Apparently, they affect the vocal chords over a period of time and the unlucky few, like me, will end up coughing at old age, while Asha Bhonsle would still be judging Indian Idol. But my idea of not giving up ice creams revolve around a totally different logic. I am in the process of making myself immune to them :D . Ok! Stop there, Mr. know-it-all, who is prepared to attack me with a scientific theory that'll prove otherwise :p !

Aruna Shanbaug, around 40 years back, was a smart young lady who planned her life with great conviction, only to be hit irreversibly by fate. A single rape by a sweeper, which was an act of revenge, dented her life forever, multiplying pain and sheer torture by several amounts. While people from all over India visited KEM Hospital to get a glimpse of the 'damsel in distress', she became just another 'object of display'. Captivated in a single room for forty years, it's the spirit in her that keeps her alive and kicking even today! In this vegetative state, all I would pray for her is euthanasia, though I might be denying the hope within her, despite diminishing health. Pinki Virani, a journalist, has written 'Aruna's Story' which is a true account of the rape and its aftermath. She initiated the request to allow mercy killing for Aruna and has been unsuccessful so far.

...and every time I read of such pain-stricken stories, I instantly forget all the pain in my life, which half of the time is in my thoughts rather than in reality. But the fact is it all creeps in once I'm over with empathizing. Our problem is actually our problem and no once can ever get it how much ever they try empathizing. Some smart tweeter had once said that - if we were given a chance to sit across the table and exchange our problems with others, within five minutes we would leave back with our own.

Like Chris Martin had sung in Coldplay's 'For you' .

Everyone of us is scared
Everyone of us is hurt
Everyone of us has hope