Indian soaps remind us of three things, high drama, lot of make-up and ever going on baseless elongated episodes. Most of us are bored to death by watching Indian soaps. Some of us have switched to watching only News channels, few others have restricted themselves to watching movies, some others to sports channels, and some have completely shut off or keep away from the information box.
However, from June, things started changing for better, with the introduction of the new channel named as Zindagi, which is an Indian entertainment channel.
Currently, this channel airs Pakistani serials which aired on Hum TV and later it will start showing television shows from our neighboring countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and other countries like Turkey, Egypt, and Iran.
This channel not only fosters friendly relation with our neighboring country Pakistan but also chooses to start off cultural exchange with other countries.
Why serials aired on Zindagi are slowly but surely catching up with the audiences?
Well, in India there are two varieties of audiences- one which enjoy watching meaningless, long drawn, never ending serials, which is why serials on other channels are still running successfully. The saas-bahu drama is still getting a lot of attention from many viewers. However, there is another section of people or audience who enjoy shows with real content, real matter, artists who put less or no makeup at all and serials which come to an end. I think the serials aired on Zindagi is slowly gaining popularity because these serials are coming to an end and getting over after 15 to 20 episodes each. The first serial titled “Zindagi Gulzar Hai” was no doubt a love story with a happy ending, but it was a love story with a twist, it had a background, it had a reason why the female protagonist was acting weird, because of what happened with her mother. There were a series of other serials namely, “Maat”, “Kahi Ankahi”, “Aaina Dulhan Ka”, “Aunn Zara”, “Mere Qatil, Mere Dildaar”, “Dhoop Chaaon”, “Badi Aapa”, “Mera Ishq Ghumsuda”, and “Kitne Girhain Baki Hain”, “Maliha Madiha” and the list goes on. In a period of only 6 to 7 months more than 10-15 serials have been aired and have been concluded. Most of the serials are inspired from novels and are issue based. These serials are based on issues such as love, passion, unfaithfulness, man-women relationships. Whereas in other channels we see some unrealistic stories, although mostly these stories are weaved around women and how one woman deals with all trials and tribulations all by herself. Indian women in such soaps are portrayed in the wrong light, always bedecked with jewellery. But we know the reality, don’t we? Of course we have good reality shows such as Crime Patrol and epic based serials such as Mahabharat but still these are not enough to provide a complete entertainment to all and cater to all.
Serials aired on Zindagi channel have very strong script, the cast is aptly chosen, stories are realistic, sharp, quick , and intelligent. Each character has some background story and each story is weaved around a central character. The amazing thing about these serials is that what is bad is shown without any extra coloring or without toning down its ugliness. Human emotions are well captured and well portrayed. Although I have enjoyed most serials, but I feel that Pakistani serials are not able to translate the comedy serials such as “Yeh Shaadi Nahi Ho Sakti” that well. I personally could not continue with this serial because the comic scenes were not well made or could not generate peals of laughter. Zindagi channel has captured the classes already. Soon it will seep into the mind of the masses and most serials will be well appreciated.
Serials on Zindagi have every possible ingredient that we as viewers enjoy watching. The drama, human emotion, modern family values or traditional family values are not blown out of proportion, none of the characters are hollow. All characters are rounded and every actor-female or male have played shades of black, white and grey. We get to see a handful of people in each of these soaps and they really get into the skin of character. It feels as it is their own story.
The recent soap titled as “Mera Saaya” has a hatke factor of a 50-year-old woman giving birth to a baby girl and the trials and tribulations in her life. How the birth of this new baby changes or affects the life of her married children. This is obviously something which has not been aired on other Indian television channels. So my friends I wish you give a chance to these serials aired on Zindagi while you still have a chance to take a look at these. Take a break from those boring saa-bahu drama, which is nothing close to being real and give room to some reality and larger than life stories in your life.
We have to accept that the Television in houses acts a main role for all people. The real situation is that people will live even without food but not without a Television. It is true that T.V is an essential thing for each home as numerous programs are covered in it-like health matters, godly affairs, world news, games and sports, etc. However, generally, people have no intension to cover all these items but use the television only to witness the continuous events in serials in which generally will not get any knowledge or wisdom but actually spoiling their morality.
Generally such stories contain the quarrels, fighting and events affecting the character of the people. Once we have commenced to see the serials we will definitely become to addict to it as will be anxious to follow the continuous events keeping them in mind for the whole day. Generally, it spoils besides the character of the people but also to disturb attending the regular routine as people will concentrate in looking the events not caring their daily duties. At times, it becomes the cause for many accidents as people will forget what they were doing before visualizing the pictures. They ignore to do cooking, and at times they fail to place the LPG in off condition, which renders have become the cause for fire breaking, etc...
As people will engage fully themselves to such serials normally forget their surroundings. It helps mischief mongers to enter the house and do unlawful activities even while the house owners are present in the houses.
It is therefore construed that addicted people will naturally become mad and forget their surroundings besides attending their duties and routines. It is impossible to bring them to normal position just like the case of drunker and there seems to be no remedy for this disease.
The actors are like us but for the action’s sake and to earn money they act in accordance to the direction of the director without caring for other’s welfare. The actual sufferer is the watching people not the actor or the Director.
The Director of episodes never mind about the people’s happiness, but they want to extend their serial life as much as possible by including a new character in the episode or showing lots of generations before what had happened. Every serial will definitely include crying scenes this is an”unwritten fate” for serials.
In the serials if any quarrel happened between husband and wife or in-laws, etc. people will compare that incident with their lives and telling others that the same thing is happening in our life. People after finishing their work at office and return home should definitely have no chance to watch their desired channel because at the time only serials are playing a major role in the television.
We really say thanks to merely one department (Electricity board) because they have the choice to make a power cut in homes at least for some hours not to hear the noise of the telecast. When power comes people will immediately switch on the television to watch the serial. While people watching an important role playing in the serial at that time the advertiser will show their tricks by playing their ads. People now in a tensed mood and want to know what will happen after the advertisement play at that time the director of the episode show there trick by putting the word “continue”.
People’s tension mood will be cleared off only after getting to know the results. Sometimes they should wait for one week to know the result because the serial will play the past things those times to recollect what happened until the date. The rest days for peoples are Saturday and Sunday because regular serials will not play on these days.
Addiction will not be cured suddenly. You must slowly and steadily improvise yourself by watching the television in useful way or engaging in different activities.
How to overcome from this addiction and here there are four tips:
- Watch Television in a useful way
- Spend more time with family
- Plan your schedule.
- What is the benefit is by watching these serials.
Instead of spending the time in serials if we join with our child or old age peoples in our family by attending their needs, they will find happiness and show affection in return. It is the only way to avoid unnecessary quarrels in the family. Watching the serial in the television is no problem but addicted to it is the major problem. The person who suffers due to serial is almost women because the majority of the serials are watching by women only.
People should be always aware that they have a life beyond televisions. People should understand between the reality and the action.
T.V viewing is not a usual phenomenon, if we observe in counties like India where people spend their leisure time in it. As varieties of channels are now available on T.V., T.V viewing has become a chief source of entertainment especially in middle class families. The one who has to watch the cannels they desire have to pay the cable operators accordingly and in a way they are dependent on them. Monthly it costs around Rs. 300 to Rs.400 as per channels opted to the cable operators. Even then the problem of price-hike appears to be a cons and - CAS or Conditional Access System is said to be the only solution.
CAS- Conditional Access System will enable viewers to watch pay channels after buying a set top box. The system is designed to prevent broadcasters from announcing arbitrary price hikes and allow consumers to choose what they want to watch. The working of this system can be explained in five steps- first, the broadcasters uplink their signals through satellites in a scrambled form to prevent copyright violation. In the second step, these signals are transmitted to cable operators who receive it through integrated receiver decoders which they control through a subscriber management system (SMS). In the third step, these decoded signals are encrypted again by the cable operator for the consumer. For the free-to-air channels, the cable operator passes on the signal to the consumer who wishes to watch a pay channel needs a set top box to decode the signal. Each TV set will require its own set top box. If the consumer wishes to add more channels to his pay-channels, he will have to inform the cable operator accordingly.
However, CAS has different affect on different people. Pre CAS government was receiving very small returns of the service tax and entertainment tax because the cable operators are declaring very low subscriber base. After implementation of CAS, government will be able to know the exact number of subscribers and will be able to receive revenues up to 5 times more than what are getting currently. Similar is the case with the broadcasters. But before the implementation of CAS cable operators are the most beneficial, because they are not declaring the actual subscribers base and also get service charges for free-to-air channels. Viewers will be the maximum losers because they will have to purchase a set-top box costing from 3-4 thousand and monthly cable charge will also increase.
There are many advantages also. Besides regularizing the cable rent, the set-top box can now act as people meter to record viewership of channels and prevent under-declaration. Also once broadband is available, a large number of options will be open from home shopping to video-conferencing etc. Also it will eliminate the trip to video store and allow the viewer to use his TV to demand select programming.
In 2000 the CAS would have been implemented. However, the bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on May 15, 2002. The date was fixed for June 15, 2003 but soon it was postponed and the deadline was July 14. Soon July 14 also passed without any implementation of CAS. It was said that it is because of Star TV (a pay channel) which has the most to lose if CAS is implemented. The four metros, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata have a total of about 2,000 people meters which are randomly distributed among the 6.4 million cable homes. If even half of them don't opt for the set-top box, the television audience measurement ratings will decrease. Star TV, which makes an almost clean sweep of the top 50 program ratings, will suffer not only in advertising revenue but also in pay subscribers Zee TV (another pay channel) comes second.
In the long term, Star TV wants Direct-To-Home (DTH) technology, not CAS. According to them DTH will prove more useful. It is the answer to a more competitive environment where the cable operators would not be able to get away by declaring only 10% of their subscriber base. Now the deadline for the CAS implementation has been set for the first September, 2003 in all metropolitan cities- Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. Let's hope this time it will be implemented. Some of the sources are taken from the prescribed book.
The vast number of TV channels in English, Hindi and vernacular languages has brought a wide variety of programs into our drawing rooms. Today the viewer has a choice of watching his/her favourite programmes. There was a time till a few years ago when there was only one channel available for watching and that too was government controlled. Viewers had to use their discretion regarding how much of the news and allied political features should be believed. People wanted a choice and these became available with the permission to private channels to broadcast even news based programmes.
These were welcomed by the viewers and there was more faith in the private news channels than government owned channels. The news content and the live coverage made the based programmes news more attractive to watch. Gradually a faithful clientele started building up for the various private national channels. In fact, a few news channels have now become truly national in the Hindi and English languages. These are widely watched especially in the evenings every day.
However a new tribe of TV news personalities have come to the fore. They are known as TV anchors. They present the news only if it is very important. Otherwise they are anchoring the debates on the national channels during the prime time which is usually from 8 PM to 11 PM. A good number of viewers are hooked to watching their favourite TV anchor moderating the intense debates on a few topics of the day. They try to make it as interesting and as controversial as possible because it also affects the TRP of these channels which in turn affects the advertisement revenue of the channels.
These days many of the anchors have become more popular than their channels. People refer to what the anchors said instead of what the channel said . Some of the anchors have attained tremendous following and credibility. It is also evident from the fact that many of the politicians and others allegedly involved in moral turpitude issues keep avoiding them or are uncomfortable in answering their questions. This further raises the credibility of the anchors.
A common characteristic of almost all the anchors is their loudness. Another is their aggressive style of questioning. Also they do not allow the respondent to finish their answers before being cut into by the anchor. Many a participant has to plead to be allowed to complete his/her answer. Another frequent grouse against the anchors is that they conduct the debates with a preset agenda and resist any attempts to deviate from it. In fact they seem to be interested in furthering it. Most of the anchors are in the habit of asking long winded questions which many times sound like sermons and admonishments.
In fact these days they are being accused of conducting what is alleged as media trials and passing judgements even before the judiciary has a chance to do so after a proper trial. In these days of 24X7 telecasting these anchors can truly make or break the reputation of a allegedly involved person. Such is their credibility that a majority of the viewers accept their conclusions. Viewers may not agree with their tendencies to dominate in debates by the anchors but they support their stands on the scams which are now taking place at a regular rate.
Iy is also observed that many a time the number of participants is too large for a 30 to 45 minute debate. With the result a few dominate and a few do not get adequate time to participate. Also the anchors under time pressure tend to cut in as soon the participants has started speaking their views. This results in the quality of the debate going down. Also it is usually the same set of participants who appear on the debates regularly thereby creating a sense of staleness for the viewer. It is also interesting to watch many a participant hop from studio to studio with his same views.
Many an anchor has now started beating his trumpet as to claiming that he was the first to expose a scam or bring pictures or interview someone and so on. It is also being done by them to market their channel to get more viewers. They are trying to increase the debate topics every evening and are also extending the programme time. The war between the channels or between the anchors is truly now hotting up.
One has to give credit to these anchors for raising issues which earlier on would have either not been raised or forgotten very fast. It suited the law breakers. But with constant exposure on TV and relentless follow up by these dedicated anchors, issues they take up, do not die easily and they remain in the minds of the viewers. Almost all the law breakers and corrupt politicians and others who have been exposed and mercilessly pursued by these anchors have had to make way one way or the or the from clinging on to positions of power. This is the single most important contribution by these new and effective class of anchors. The shady scamsters and corrupt are rightly getting exposed and many a wrongly affected person has also got justice and compensation.
The fourth pillar of democracy the media is now truly discharging its duty and helping it do so are these popular anchors who have now not only made a name for themselves and are seen as being of high credibility but are eagerly welcomed by increasing viewers every evening into their houses.
The anchors deserve both our thanks and praise. They are actually in a virtual way acting on our behalf by exposing and berating the wrongdoers while holding positions of trust. Nine o'clock every evening is the time to come in front of the TV and watch the various anchors act on our behalf.
Where would you find a precise explanation for what species of bird the Bank, Common and Jungle are? If you say it’s Myna, then you are either trying your luck to become a contestant at the show or have visited their web site. We are talking about the Indian version of Who Wants to Become a Millionaire – Kaun Banega Crorepati.
The show is in its sixth season, which had kicked off on July 3, 2000. It is a reality show that in itself is closest to reality and real life entities. It is one such TV show that makes one aware of one’s merist. That is why they rightly say – gyan hi aapko aapkaa hak dilata hai.
KBC has everything that the young generation today wants to prepare themselves for the highly competitive examinations. It is a show from such birdies who are looking to soar high in this world of cut-throat competition, to simple housewives who might have not go the opportunity to showcase their flair without this platform.
Amitabh Bachchan has made almost every episode of the programme interesting, entertaining, amusing and interactive too. That is why there is more interest amongst the audience to watch the show as well. It is an educative show and that is why followed by many college-going students and the intelligentsia.
For this season, the makers of the show have emphasized how only the knowledge can play a part in delivering you your rights. No wonder, Mr. Bachchan rightly calls it Panchakoti Gyankumbha. There is always one curiosity amongst the minds of the audience present on the set and the TV audience while watching this programme and it is about the knowledge a certain contestant has achieved. One gets to view the video clips of the contestants on the hot seat and the other personal information.
However, it is very important that the show commences showing the education level of the contestants. A contestant like Rekha Chowdhary (Saturday, October 6) comes from such a place where there is no electricity for about three weeks on the trot. She comes from a place where it is literally impossible to subscribe to newspapers or magazines. Yet, people like her make it to the hot seat. It is indeed a matter of great curiosity how the contestants achieve this enormous knowledge of various fields of human life.
Sushil Kumar has become a household name today. This straightforward and humble computer operator, who comes from Bihar, was able to win the jackpot of Rs. 5 crores in the last season. Manoj Kumar Raina, the first crorepati of the sixth season hails from a place like Kashmir. It is without a doubt commendable on the part of these contestants to try their level best to not only be able to participate, but also win considerable amounts.
We have had many examples in the last season, where people came from such places where they didn’t have access to mobile services. Such contestants came from places that still lack the fundamental amenities like road, electricity and education. Yet, they showed that they were the brave hearts. What were the sources of their preparations when the basic amenities themselves were absent?
India is a secular country. Islam and Christianity apart from Sikhism are some of the prominent faiths in India. One stumbles upon the questions from the Hindu mythology. However, it is a humble suggestion to include some questions from the other mythologies as well. It would be excellent if the educational qualifications of the contestants are briefly mentioned in the video clips.
The sixth season has already given us one crorepati. It is no doubt an inspiration for other aspirants to work harder towards the fulfillment of their aspirations. It will be superb the producers of the show will make the above suggested changes for the betterment of the show. The history of Indian Television will remain incomplete without the mention of Kaun Banega Crorepati.
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