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Hindi TV soaps: Affront to common sense?

Farida Reza
Prior to the invention of washing machines, Monday was a dreaded day for housewives in the west. Clothes worn throughout the week had to be washed — a truly tedious chore. On the contrary, womenfolk in Bangladesh welcome the start of the week — it's back to a more orderly existence, women old and young - running to the kitchen to cook up dishes recommended by Siddiqua Kabir or Sanjiv Kapoor.
So sit back, relax and get set for the entertainment that your dearest friends have in store for you. Yes, you got it right -- I'm referring to the array of Hindi serials on the various Indian TV channels.
My favourite of these is Zee TV - the hallowed hours and weekdays generate a purpose in life. Who can ignore the effervescence, the affluence and the sparkle of the daily Hindi soaps? Or the “costumes" and fabulous decor (though uber-garish at times)? In fact the 'Zee' costumes are much coveted by the “fashion conscious"
Soap operas, like food or medicines, have become an integral part of life for many -- though some of the episodes tax even the most vivid imagination. Can women, for instance, emerge from bed at the dead of night — impeccably turned out in zari-laden saris or sequined silk kurtas, with not a hair out of place or any crease in their attire?
Amnesia seems to be a favourite theme in many of these serials. The protagonists sometimes encounter severe accidents and are pronounced dead -- only to miraculously reappear after a few episodes. Tedium then is the consequence of these serials which drag on and on even when a conclusion seems in sight. But such is the loyalty of the viewers to many of these soaps that they don't switch to other channels. Mondays truly are great to begin the TV week -- despite the hints that have to be dropped on unwel-
come guests. And of course, the traffic jams are blessed for acting as a buffer to deter their visits.
And now to a more serious issue. We get a different picture of secular India in the Hindi soaps. Gods and goddesses seem ubiquitous in every household and even public places -- there are altars at hospitals, laboratories, bedrooms, virtu ally on any and every empty space. A temple is always within convenient distance. Each serial has its favourite deity. A deep, deep prayer to Shambuna th, Ganesh or Krishna decides the turn of events. So per-
manent is Pavlov's conditioning that one day I found myself humming “Jai Ganesh, Jai Ganesh, Jai Ganesh deva..."; repetition does enhance learning.
In contrast to Hindi channels, West Bengal does not follow the same trend, nor does Bangladesh. Why mix religion with entertainment? We, despite our tendency to add religious sprinklings to all dishes, arc still free from tins bias. Bangladeshi channels do not manifest jainamaz at every catastrophe, nor is a tasbih brought out every 10 minutes to prove the
devout individual's faith.
Believe me, we viewers are not a dumb lot. Most of us do not enjoy The Three Stooges kind of slapstick humour. We can absorb the philosophy, the sarcasm and wit of Charlie Chaplin. Then why this need, this avid hankering to watch these serials year after year? Majorly because they take the average lonely, troubled and stressed TV viewer to a world of fantasy, creating a gossamer-like effect, providing scope for empathy, making life liveable for a few hours. Their very subtitles arc hilarious enough to provide food for laughter which is a cost-free medicine prescribed by the doctor, but hard to find in these days of quick changing life threatening events, stressful living and the uphill efforts to achieve more.
Reports of cyclones, suicide bombers, earthquake victims, prices of even green chillies shooting up to TK 200 per kg arc pushed into oblivion. Here the wings of fantasy unfurl in ecstasy and logic becomes a captive in the entrails of reality. Thus this analgesic should not be looked down upon by the judicious viewers who do not prefer watching these serials.
Octogenarians, along with the younger generation, indulge in this harmless addiction. Why look down upon them? Live and let live should be the order of Ilie day.
The writer is an educationist and social worker