Couch Potato

I have been spending an awful lot of time in front of the juke box these days. And to be very frank I am enjoying it like anything. I just like to plop on the sofa with the remote in my hand and surf through the channels. Sometimes I feel so relaxed because my worries and tensions(if any) seem to evaporate in thin air. Apart from that I love hindi movies to the core. They take me on a joy ride, I forget everything and start living the character. When I was in Kota; I with my pals used to go for movies every fortnight. And now when I look back I smile that we watched such flop films too just for the heck of it.

Another reason for sticking to the movies or serials is that I am utterly disappointed by the hindi NEWS Channels these days. They just drive me crazy. What happened to journalism and where have all the journalists gone????

Rajesh's claim of being the rebirth of an American scientist, Shani changing its position, people in Karnal claiming to see UFOs, a masjid being touted as an abode of ghosts or jins....and what not.

Is this what journalism is? Are they creating awareness or making people more superstitious and prompting them to carve their own fake stories so that they can be aired live on TV.

The trite reply from the perpetrators is "This is what people want to see." Well nothing can be further from the truth. Various channels like NDTV and CNN IBN etc don't follow the same path as their hindi peers. So can we deduce that these angrezi channels are showing what people don't want to see?

Well, I personally feel that the hindi News channels, just for the sake of airing programs throughout the day and differentiating themselves from their competitors, are resorting to such programs. For example initially these channels used to show the astrological shows early in the morning until one channel got this idea to broadcast the show at midnight, soon other channels followed the suit. No matter how our cricket team performs they always have to criticise the team in their discussions. And that too with highly caustic remarks and titles.

Media should infuse confidence in the masses and not cynicism. Media plays a very important role in the development of the society, we cant expect our society to be developed when the media is not realising its responsibility. These channels should take a leaf or two from CNN's or BBC's book. Till then, movie channels are a better option!!!

Oo aa India aya India…

Finally!!!! Team India is back on track, defeating the Proteas 2-1. All the matches were close encounters and worth the time spent. It was a treat to see Sachin bat. Finally he is back in form; he stroked the ball all around the park with panache, thereby silencing his critics. Though he wasn’t able to get to the three figure mark on both occasions but became the first batsman to score 15000 runs in the history of cricket. Even Dravid and Ganguly chipped in and played their part, I must say that the team is strengthened by Ganguly’s inclusion. Youngsters like Karthik, Yuvraj, Zaheer and RP Singh also played their part to perfection. All in all, it was a team effort.
I was highly impressed by the josh and the hunger of the trio who are on the wrong side of their thirties. I mean Ganguly scampering for runs, diving to save his wicket, throwing himself around to prevent runs being stolen off him, Sachin’s two nineties, both different from each other, first one was a much matured innings while the other reinforced his greatness as a player. Dravid also scored well and marshaled his resources very well. I felt as if the seniors knew that the pressure was on them and they had to perform to stay in the side.
Not only on the field but off the field too, the enthusiasm was palpable, Ganguly hugging and lifting Yuvi after his match winning knock of 49 not out in the 2nd match, Dravid jumping in air after India won their 3rd match and clinched the series, Sachin sharing his “man of the series” award with Yuvi and literally dragging him to the podium....
This shows that the boys have been able to reunite themselves and this win would have been a big morale booster for the men in blue. Sachin rightly said “This was a starter; the main course is yet to be served”. I hope that we continue to perform this way and this enthusiasm doesn’t fade away when we encounter the tough times….