On a very busy Monday morning during the first week of lockdown, my mom was eagerly waiting for the clock to strike 9 a.m. I was perplexed, because I didn't have even the slightest idea as to what was going on. I gathered some courage and asked her ''Amma, what are you yearning so much for?'' For this she replied,''I am waiting for the re-telecast of the first episode of Ramayan." I asked her again,"What is so special in it?" for which she said, "History can only be created once. This serial has made it." The clock chimed at nine and she made me sit to watch Ramayan. I found it good and was amazed by the way the indigenous language was spoken with complete fluency.
The same day another incident occurred. My friends had scheduled a WhatsApp video call at 7 p.m in the evening. This date was chosen only after a complete analysis of free time of everyone. But, few of my friends didn't attend saying that it was the second episode of Mahabharat-the old one-at 7 p.m with the first episode at 12 p.m. I had asked them if a serial was more important than a conversation with friends for which they replied, "It is said that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. But, everyone who watched or will watch this showpiece will surely admire its beauty."
My mind started ebbing with a series of questions. Why do people love these serials so much? Why do they consider watching TV more important than their work? Why do they even forget what they have to do if it is 9 a.m, 12 p.m, 7 p.m, 9 p.m? I decided to find the answers for these questions and began searching on the laptop. My mom looking at my interest towards this told me, "People say life always comes a full circle. I never believed it. But now, I feel it is true. When both these serials were aired for the first time, the roads were deserted. Now when the curfew is implemented, the serials are re-aired. What an irony!" she said. Hearing this, I immediately plunged into the BARC data and found that 1.5 billion and 1.9 billion people watched Mahabharat and Ramayan respectively in the first week. Also, the usage of smartphones has increased and people are glued to their screens to watch any missed episode. My mom added, "During those days, when Ramayan was aired, people broke coconuts, agarbattis were lit and were kept near the TV. People all gathered at a place to watch the serial and this established a thick bond between them."
The weeks passed by and Doordarshsan continued to top the TRP charts. DD dethroned everyone to be crowned as the most viewed channel. There was no looking back. DD started airing all its old classics and people started giving it more and more viewership. This served as a testimony for the veracity of the quote 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' Meanwhile, I started examining the reasons for the sky-rocketing popularity of these serials and came to a conclusion that during those days there was only one channel and everyone watched whatever used to be aired during that specific slot. The people who were tiny-tots then have now become adults and have kids. So, every 90's child wants their kids to watch those serials. Also, there was a dramatic increase in the population and every house has a TV now. That is the reason for its massive success.
The artists rose to unfathomable stardom and the serials achieved cult status. They[the actors] weren't recognized by their name, but by the roles they played. Actors were worshiped as real gods. Their cards turned and they got a big break in their careers. When I was reading a few reviews on net, one of them had written, "We are forever indebted to B.R Chopra sir and Ramanand Sagar sir for creating such a magnum opus. We have never seen God, but whenever we close our eyes, the image of Arun Govil sir and Nitish Bharadwaj sir as Lord Ram and Lord Krishna respectively come to our eyes. The recreations are just paintings; yours are masterpieces with every stroke an embodiment of perfection."
I found the statement very true as the sets were grandiloquent and the directors were precocious and had a vision in their mind. They spent lavish money and conducted many screen tests to finalize an actor for a character. That's why even today, thirty-three years later, all the images are fresh and are imprinted in our minds. Whenever we listen to ''Atha Shree Mahabharat Katha" or "Mangal Bhavan Amangal Hari" a twinge of reminiscence passes through our skin and our hair stands erect. These songs never become old and are forever engraved in our minds.
When we think of Mahabharat, the pictures that come to our mind is of the malevolent Shakuni, the demeanor of hefty Duryodhan essayed by Puneet Isaar who did complete justice to the role, Dhritarashtra's filial love towards his son, Bhishma's gallantry, Karna's ardour for war, forbearence of Yudhistira essayed by Gajendra Chauhan excellently, the pristine dialogue delivery of Arjun aka Firoz Khan-and the bond between him and the paramount Lord Krishna, the Godhead's charismatic smile, on-screen persona, deferent and munificent conduct and the cute countenance when he speaks with family has won everyone's hearts and none other than Nitish Bharadwaj could be imagined for the role. Draupadi's enthralling beauty, fiery anger and conjugal loyalty-all of this was beautifully portrayed by Roopa Ganguly. The list of talented artists in this epic is unending and none can be pigeon-holed, but I am limiting myself to this only for now.
Speaking of Ramayan, it is another great quintessence of morals. Lord Ram was a paragon which was essayed by Arun Govil with utmost sincerity. Devi Sita, through her actions, rose to the zenith and made all the women walk with confidence and their head held high. This role was depicted by Deepika Chikhila, who brought life to all the intricate conversations. The role of Lakshman-the angry young man and his caprices was beautifully characterized by Sunil Lahri. Bharat was enamored of Lord Ram, Hanuman's staunch devotedness, Vibhishan's concern for the state, Sugriv's unflinching loyalty and the stiff-necked Ravan- demonstrated by Aravind Trivedi who made a chill pass down our spines with such ease is totally commendable.
Both the serials are an amalgamation of unity, hardwork and dedication towards one's work. It is said, if one keeps one's feet on the ground and eyes towards the stars, triumph will fall on your feet. This proved the accuracy of the quote.
Although both the serials have many things in common, there is one mammoth difference. The story of Ramayan is slow-paced and that of Mahabharat is fast-paced. The latter has a backstory for every happening and every character has its own significance. Even though the former is measured and unhurried, it covered all the aspects without leaving anything. Both the serials have songs in accordance with the situation that convey the emotions in a more deeper way. They also have different couplets in the end or in between every episode that are rhyming, short but very profound. These songs and laconic couplets succinctly give a very good value for us to imbibe. Mahabharat was narrated by 'Samay'[time] and even though the serial had a stellar cast, it was acknowledged for the intense dialogues in every scene.
The response of the re-telecast was so much that the last episode of Ramayan was watched by 7.7 crore people across the globe and it even defeated American biggies. Mahabharat's finale a week later was watched by 22.9 million people and the channel came first in the TRP rankings. The effect was so much that channels of Star Pus and Colors started airing Ramayan and Mahabharat once again.
In the start I thought that both the serials were watched by so many people because they just wanted their kids to watch it and they could revive their childhood days. But later on I understood it was the love of people towards the characters which is making them watch the repeat telecast of both the serials on Colors and Star Plus thus giving both the first position in the TRP ratings.
The influence of both these serials was so much on me that I became an ardent follower of mythological and history serials and started watching all old serials of that genre. Now I can answer any question of the folklores and can pass on this knowledge to anyone who asks me.
I consider myself among those lucky people who got a chance to witness this saga unfold in front of their eyes. I thank both the directors for opening a new ocean of inquisitivity towards exploring our culture. Thank you for making me even more devotionally inclined. During this extensive search of mine, I learnt an important thing. Always stay connected to your roots. Be the tallest tree, but have your legs firm on the ground. Never forget your culture, it is your identity.
It is said that the smallest of acts only make the deepest of changes. The trivial occurrence that took place between my mom and myself lit up a dense fire in the inner chambers of my heart-kindling new desires within me, thus transforming me into a reformed person. Imagine, if one minor happening could make a remarkable impact, then every such happening could make how huge of an affect if we ponder. Do not sit idle. Always be on the verge of learning something or the other. Start looking at different viewpoints, expand your memory and keep noting down such incidents of experiential learning just like how I did! You will realize what a big difference this has made to you in terms of your personality and writing style.
ALWAYS BE READY TO JUMP INTO ACTION FOLKS!!
Until then, this is me signing off from you with a promise to come back harder and stronger even though it takes time!!
- Anusha Sridhar
The same day another incident occurred. My friends had scheduled a WhatsApp video call at 7 p.m in the evening. This date was chosen only after a complete analysis of free time of everyone. But, few of my friends didn't attend saying that it was the second episode of Mahabharat-the old one-at 7 p.m with the first episode at 12 p.m. I had asked them if a serial was more important than a conversation with friends for which they replied, "It is said that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. But, everyone who watched or will watch this showpiece will surely admire its beauty."
My mind started ebbing with a series of questions. Why do people love these serials so much? Why do they consider watching TV more important than their work? Why do they even forget what they have to do if it is 9 a.m, 12 p.m, 7 p.m, 9 p.m? I decided to find the answers for these questions and began searching on the laptop. My mom looking at my interest towards this told me, "People say life always comes a full circle. I never believed it. But now, I feel it is true. When both these serials were aired for the first time, the roads were deserted. Now when the curfew is implemented, the serials are re-aired. What an irony!" she said. Hearing this, I immediately plunged into the BARC data and found that 1.5 billion and 1.9 billion people watched Mahabharat and Ramayan respectively in the first week. Also, the usage of smartphones has increased and people are glued to their screens to watch any missed episode. My mom added, "During those days, when Ramayan was aired, people broke coconuts, agarbattis were lit and were kept near the TV. People all gathered at a place to watch the serial and this established a thick bond between them."
The weeks passed by and Doordarshsan continued to top the TRP charts. DD dethroned everyone to be crowned as the most viewed channel. There was no looking back. DD started airing all its old classics and people started giving it more and more viewership. This served as a testimony for the veracity of the quote 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' Meanwhile, I started examining the reasons for the sky-rocketing popularity of these serials and came to a conclusion that during those days there was only one channel and everyone watched whatever used to be aired during that specific slot. The people who were tiny-tots then have now become adults and have kids. So, every 90's child wants their kids to watch those serials. Also, there was a dramatic increase in the population and every house has a TV now. That is the reason for its massive success.
The artists rose to unfathomable stardom and the serials achieved cult status. They[the actors] weren't recognized by their name, but by the roles they played. Actors were worshiped as real gods. Their cards turned and they got a big break in their careers. When I was reading a few reviews on net, one of them had written, "We are forever indebted to B.R Chopra sir and Ramanand Sagar sir for creating such a magnum opus. We have never seen God, but whenever we close our eyes, the image of Arun Govil sir and Nitish Bharadwaj sir as Lord Ram and Lord Krishna respectively come to our eyes. The recreations are just paintings; yours are masterpieces with every stroke an embodiment of perfection."
I found the statement very true as the sets were grandiloquent and the directors were precocious and had a vision in their mind. They spent lavish money and conducted many screen tests to finalize an actor for a character. That's why even today, thirty-three years later, all the images are fresh and are imprinted in our minds. Whenever we listen to ''Atha Shree Mahabharat Katha" or "Mangal Bhavan Amangal Hari" a twinge of reminiscence passes through our skin and our hair stands erect. These songs never become old and are forever engraved in our minds.
When we think of Mahabharat, the pictures that come to our mind is of the malevolent Shakuni, the demeanor of hefty Duryodhan essayed by Puneet Isaar who did complete justice to the role, Dhritarashtra's filial love towards his son, Bhishma's gallantry, Karna's ardour for war, forbearence of Yudhistira essayed by Gajendra Chauhan excellently, the pristine dialogue delivery of Arjun aka Firoz Khan-and the bond between him and the paramount Lord Krishna, the Godhead's charismatic smile, on-screen persona, deferent and munificent conduct and the cute countenance when he speaks with family has won everyone's hearts and none other than Nitish Bharadwaj could be imagined for the role. Draupadi's enthralling beauty, fiery anger and conjugal loyalty-all of this was beautifully portrayed by Roopa Ganguly. The list of talented artists in this epic is unending and none can be pigeon-holed, but I am limiting myself to this only for now.
Speaking of Ramayan, it is another great quintessence of morals. Lord Ram was a paragon which was essayed by Arun Govil with utmost sincerity. Devi Sita, through her actions, rose to the zenith and made all the women walk with confidence and their head held high. This role was depicted by Deepika Chikhila, who brought life to all the intricate conversations. The role of Lakshman-the angry young man and his caprices was beautifully characterized by Sunil Lahri. Bharat was enamored of Lord Ram, Hanuman's staunch devotedness, Vibhishan's concern for the state, Sugriv's unflinching loyalty and the stiff-necked Ravan- demonstrated by Aravind Trivedi who made a chill pass down our spines with such ease is totally commendable.
Both the serials are an amalgamation of unity, hardwork and dedication towards one's work. It is said, if one keeps one's feet on the ground and eyes towards the stars, triumph will fall on your feet. This proved the accuracy of the quote.
Although both the serials have many things in common, there is one mammoth difference. The story of Ramayan is slow-paced and that of Mahabharat is fast-paced. The latter has a backstory for every happening and every character has its own significance. Even though the former is measured and unhurried, it covered all the aspects without leaving anything. Both the serials have songs in accordance with the situation that convey the emotions in a more deeper way. They also have different couplets in the end or in between every episode that are rhyming, short but very profound. These songs and laconic couplets succinctly give a very good value for us to imbibe. Mahabharat was narrated by 'Samay'[time] and even though the serial had a stellar cast, it was acknowledged for the intense dialogues in every scene.
The response of the re-telecast was so much that the last episode of Ramayan was watched by 7.7 crore people across the globe and it even defeated American biggies. Mahabharat's finale a week later was watched by 22.9 million people and the channel came first in the TRP rankings. The effect was so much that channels of Star Pus and Colors started airing Ramayan and Mahabharat once again.
In the start I thought that both the serials were watched by so many people because they just wanted their kids to watch it and they could revive their childhood days. But later on I understood it was the love of people towards the characters which is making them watch the repeat telecast of both the serials on Colors and Star Plus thus giving both the first position in the TRP ratings.
The influence of both these serials was so much on me that I became an ardent follower of mythological and history serials and started watching all old serials of that genre. Now I can answer any question of the folklores and can pass on this knowledge to anyone who asks me.
I consider myself among those lucky people who got a chance to witness this saga unfold in front of their eyes. I thank both the directors for opening a new ocean of inquisitivity towards exploring our culture. Thank you for making me even more devotionally inclined. During this extensive search of mine, I learnt an important thing. Always stay connected to your roots. Be the tallest tree, but have your legs firm on the ground. Never forget your culture, it is your identity.
It is said that the smallest of acts only make the deepest of changes. The trivial occurrence that took place between my mom and myself lit up a dense fire in the inner chambers of my heart-kindling new desires within me, thus transforming me into a reformed person. Imagine, if one minor happening could make a remarkable impact, then every such happening could make how huge of an affect if we ponder. Do not sit idle. Always be on the verge of learning something or the other. Start looking at different viewpoints, expand your memory and keep noting down such incidents of experiential learning just like how I did! You will realize what a big difference this has made to you in terms of your personality and writing style.
ALWAYS BE READY TO JUMP INTO ACTION FOLKS!!
Until then, this is me signing off from you with a promise to come back harder and stronger even though it takes time!!
- Anusha Sridhar
