Ode to the Lost Collective Consciousness

Catching up on old DD serials through the Internet has turned out to be a trip filled with heavy doses of nostalgia. I was in for a pleasant suprise. There are many people who still fondly recollect these serials and pay rich tributes. So am not alone in my reminiscenses, after all. And You Tube helps to bring some of the episodes back to us, thanks to dedicated sharing and uploading done by diehard fans. Humlog, Yeh Jo Hain Zindagi, Khandaan, Buniyaad, Isi Bahane, Udaan, Idhar Udhar, Paying Guest, Dekho Magar Pyaar Se, Kacchi Dhoop, Mashoor Mahal, Wah Janab, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Bharat Ek Khoj, Naqab, Nukkad, Ados Pados, Intezar, Manoranjan, Circus, Gul Gulshan Gulfam, Mirza Ghalib, Manzil Apni Apni, Fauji, Sanjha Chulha, Guldasta, Kshitij Yeh Nahin, Farmaan, Talaash, Phir Wohi Talaash, Karamchand, Malgudi Days, Kab Tak Pukaroon, Tamas, Mriganayani, Ek Kahani, Katha Sagar, Qile Ka Rahasya, Daane Anaar Ke, Mungeri Lal ke Haseen Sapne, Muzrim Hazir, Tehkikaat, Byomkesh Bakshi...and not to forget, dear old Chitrahaar and Rangoli..the list of memorable serials is endless. Have we ever wondered why? Well, quite simple. For one, it was early days of TV viewers for the bulk of us across the country and we lapped up everything that was given to us. Two, what was given was short and sweet and had the middle class audience at its core. No story prolonged with endless twists and turns, and stuck tautly to the original plot. Three, we watched an episode once a week. Four, we were bound by a collective consciousness, that is sorely missing today, and that s what separates the viewers of the DD golden age from those of today. The magic of waiting and watching something within a family, then many families put together make for what is known as the Collective Consciousness. I still vividly recall the days at school when we used to discuss with relish, the TV programs watched the previous evening - we all watched the same thing and so it was fun, because we were driven by the same feeling towards a serial, song, newsreader, announcer, anchor and well, even the the famous DD national integration themes. Remember the unforgettable Mile Sur Mera Tumhara? The latest Phir Mile is not a patch on the original one.

Now, in 2010, no two people within a circle are likely to be watching the same thing. Call up a friend or even your mom and the former would be catching up on a reality show from the zillions of them and your mom would most likely be watching a soap from the enths of them on a regional channel. While these are happy times in terms of choice and variety, I wonder if we are really watching or merely seeing a myriad images in front of us out of force of habit... and with attention spans almost in competition with those of infants, the situation doesnt get any better.

I am trying to do something about this at a personal level. I studiously avoid watching soaps and reality shows. Two, I catch up a bit on the news and withdraw once 24 hour news bombardment starts getting suffocating :) Three, I am trying to get episodes of some of my old faves and watching them. Currently, onto Byomkesh Bakshi and Kacchi Dhoop. Rajat Kapur' s fine act of the Bhadralok Sherlock Holmes is heartwarming and makes good viewing even today. Kacchi Dhoop, an adaptation of Little Women stays in my mind not only for its innocence but also because this serial happened to launch Bhagyashree of Maine Pyar Kiya fame. Well, the whole world talks of the SRK making it big from television, but few would remember poor Bhagyashree s similar rise to fame from television. Well, she did not sustain the glory while the Khan still shines, we dont talk of has-beens, do we?


And, one serial that really stayed with me was Kshitij Yeh Nahin. Adapted from Sachi Jamadar's Doosra Lagna, this was a unique love story between a widow and a man whose love she refuses to acknowledge till the very end. Supriya Pilgaonkar as Nisha Pradhan and Tushaar Dalvi as Shekar, came up with fine performances and Rajat Kapur, once again, as Akshay, Nisha s dead and gone husband completed the cameo angle. Veteran Vikram Gokhale as Nisha s doting father-in-law added to the acting cast. One story that I would really want to revisit and see all over again and lose myself in a different world. As for my fave title track, I think Shyam Benegal's Bharat Ek Khoj would win hands down.. there is something haunting in the vedic chants that reverberate in the opening notes.
Meanwhile, I am enjoying the bliss of good old DD and hope others are also digging out stuff too and rejoicing, like I am. Join the gang!