by SAQIB MUMTAZ
Away from the revolution of direct to home (DTH) and cable TV networks, the nineties were the time of one channel, when Doordarshan was synonymous with Television for most Indians, especially in rural areas. There was not much on television for a kid growing up except the occasional cartoon clips and Shaktimaan. I was fond of Meena and her parrot Mithu. They were loveable unthreatening characters. The duo imparted important lessons on a variety of social issues. Movies were a strict no-no and the news was other things adults were interested in. Every evening my grandfather would tune in to the Hindi news which was followed by another news broadcast in English. Even as a kid I could sense the repetition but never the reason of watching the same news twice.
In my memory of those days, it’s not Doordarshan that I associate myself with. Luckily for many of us near the border there was PTV.
We had the option of choosing between the two. There was variability in its reception depending upon the terrain. Once I moved to Poonch, a town which is near the border, there was no PTV. If it hadn’t been for the cable network then we would be stuck with Doordarshan.
Kafila for more
(Thanks to Robin Khundkar)