As I was surfing through the TV channels, something caught my attention i.e. the logo of Doordarshan(DD)National - with 50 Golden Years inscribed. I was taken unawares that DD(as it was called had completed 50 years of existence. Looking back I realized why not...I have been watching DD since 1982, when we(the family) got its first TV(a Rainbow Delux colour) just before the start of the Asiad games.
DD had played a significant role in our lives when we were growing up through the various programs it aired during those years....I remember that we used to come back from school and wait with impatience the start of the DD broadcast at 6:00 p.m.
Many programs that we waited very eagerly were:
1. Hindi Songs - Chitrahaar on Wednesday and Rangooli on Sunday.
2. Cartoon/Children programs - HeMan and the Masters of Universe, SpiderMan, Malgudi Days, ,Telematches, Mowgli, Famous Five etc.
3. Education programs - Bharat Ek Khoj, What's the Good Word, Sidhhartha Basu's Quiz, Turning Point, Surabhi, Sports Quiz by Norattam Puri
4. Movies - the movies on Saturdays and Sundays.
5. Religion/Mythology - Mahabharat and Ramayan. I remember that the streets used to have a deserted look when these programs were aired on Sundays.
6. Family Drama -Tamas, Hum Log, Buniyaad, Karamchand,.
7. Comedy - Yeh Jo hai Zindagi, Didi's comedy show, Yes Minister, Different Strokes, Mind Your language
8. English Program - Sherlock Holmes, Star Trek(Mr Spock etc), Lucy Show
9. Sports - Olympics, Asian Games and all cricket matches
10. Cultural Programs - various dances,
Apart from these the Election coverage with lot of breaks for movies, Union and Railway budget, 9:00 o'clock news with Rini Khanna and others.
As years passed DD contributed in one way or the other to my growth atleast, and slowly apart from DD1, we got the privilege of watching DD2.
However with the advent/liberalization of media a lot of channels started coming up and my viewership shifted to them. What I did not realize that DD which formed the essence of India and its culture moved away from my radar due to various reasons.
Having said that my current connect time with DD is very low - I would like to congratulate this media for upholding the true Indian essence/life/culture and contributing to the development of folks and the nations.
Kudos to DD and I am sure you will continue to do a good job in the years to coming years.
