Do you really want to watch these daily soaps and sitcoms?

When my injured shoulder left me with very few activity options (since moving the arm was excruciatingly painful), I decided to (mis)use my time doing something which is rarely on my to-do list. Watch TV. And by god, I still don’t know which was more painful – moving my arm or watching the daily soaps? Switching channels did not help as each one was out to outdo the other. I mean is it really this bad or am I missing something? And this kind of badgering is acceptable, I am told. Alas!

After painfully, no pun intended, scanning the various channels, I just gave up. When I narrated by ordeal in the evening at the dinner table, my dutiful daughters suggested (accompanied with the appropriate rolling of eyes!) I try Netflix. Ah! never crossed my mind. My TV deficient mind did not even think about these options. They must think me so “uncool” and archaic and antiquated. That explains the eye rolls, aha!

So next day, armed with my new knowledge I tried Netflix. What a sight for sore eyes! Greedily I went through some of the old sitcoms like Doogie Howser M.D., Friends, Full House, West Wing, The Office, That 70s Show, Fraiser, and the list went on. I just went crazy. These were some of the best that I could recollect; I remember a few more and will surely search for them too. my favorite as a kid was a BBC production of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five. To see in action what I would have read was thrilling.

All this got me nostalgic. Back home, we too had some very awesome, mind-blowing home productions. Hum Log (with the last word by the legendary Ashok Kumar at the end of each episode), Buniyaad (I think, the first Indian soap with a story spanning generations and the soap continuing for months and years), Shrikant, Ek Kahaani (a beautiful collection of short stories by eminent writers), Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (what a clean and wholesome laugh riot), Surabhi, Chitrahaar, Nukkad, and of course Ramayan and Mahabharata.

I mean, it was wonderful. It was the Golden Age of Indian television. The day was remembered by the programs being telecasted. Streets would be empty on Sunday mornings. I wish they would make serials like those now. Parents never had to worry about what the kids were watching. Kids never had to worry about asking permissions because the parents too would be watching along with them. Ultimate family time!

Well, I need to give my shoulder some rest now, hence I’m going to watch some TV (p.s.. for once I don’t feel guilty about using this excuse!). Got to go!

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