Sunday Morning

Sunday Morning, reminds me of the excitement that centered around the telecast of 'Ramanand Sagar's 'Ramayan' on National Television (Doordarshan). Sooner than later after the TV Series was over, this was followed by 'B.R. Chopra's 'Mahabharat'. 

From a Quality perspective, there can hardly be any denial that the latter was a far more superior product. The Story Telling in 'Mahabharat' was not intended to create a 'Godly Presence', the focus was creating an audio-visual documentation of what was written thousands of years ago.

This was the late 80s, just before the Gulf War, when the Indian Economy was yet to open up and the country was struggling through the past challenges and damages with hardly any significant progress in any field be it Trade & Commerce, Geo-Political position, Science & Technology or Sports. Perhaps, the overall conservative approach of India delayed a Growth where regions like South East Asia & countries like China made galloping progress.

But this was Serious Stuff, the commoners in India hardly had anything to do with it. There was no Cable TV, no Internet, no Smartphone, what were they busy with ?

Beyond cricket & movies it was these 'Doordarshan' epics which created the waves. Along with this came in 'Gulshan Kumar' led 'T-Series' & 'Narendra Chanchal'. Their conversions of Hindi Movie Song tunes to 'Jai Mata Di' products swept all over the Northern belt of India. 

Thus, 'Sagar', 'Chanchal' & 'Kumar' created an atmosphere where a larger than life image was created. Intended or unintended, the image plantation procedure Damaged the Fabric of a Nation, which unknowingly declared itself to be a separatist approach in 'Hinduism', the rest of the 'Hindus' in the country could not feel connected.

As a Traveller, moving across from one state to another like West Bengal, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, etc being a 'Hindu' was (and is) never visible as a loud assertive approach like the Abrahamic (specifically Islamic) practice of India. But the 'Jai Mata di' infusion changed the mindset for the then & upcoming generations. The effect has reached such to heights that today in the montsh of 'Sravan' (July-August) there are frequently seen groups on trucks & bikes with high decibel boxes howling at DJ Version of 'Jai Mata di'. 

At one time the high decibel Loudspeaker use in Kolkata Durga Puja Pandals was a nuisance for the People. But the laws & the government took care of it with such appreciable efforts that today when the Festival has reached Global Heights, loudspeakers are no longer a concern.

It's always debatable, whether such waves of separatist approaches existed in the past or not. This prolonged loudness has been for quite some time fuelled & used by Political Motives resulting in slow & steady decay of a 'ONE Hindu Society', set aside a 'ONE Society'.

What lies ahead ? We don't know, but surely we don't expect a Messiah to make the changes. 

(Picture Courtesy : Google)