Unrealistic reality

Every weekend night is family time with everyone tuning in to their favourite shows of diverse genres; comedy, singing, dancing etc. We get to hear different sounds from houses. At one end we can listen to the melodious voices and rendition of songs. At the other end, we can listen to peppy beats and loud laughing noises. This is the extent to which the reality shows are loved by people.

Due to the existing pandemic situation, the screen time of viewers has increased exponentially from the yesteryears; they are on a spree and  are watching shows across different platforms. This has contributed towards the skyrocketing popularity of reality shows.

What exactly these reality shows are and how they are different from daily soaps? A reality show is something which is designed for entertainment with bits and pieces of messages conveyed through small acts. The main aim of a reality show is to bring people out of their worldly tensions and make them a part of their world.

Few reality shows provide a platform for the economically backward sections of the society while few reality shows make you aware about the threats persistent in the society. Few highlight real life issues beautifully through sketches while few truly move your hearts and you end up donating for a good cause. The ways in which people connect to these shows are different, but the purpose is same.

Times have changed and so have the methods of presenting things. Lavish sets, designer dresses and heavy loads of makeup are being added into these shows. Long breaks and lame jokes make people really irritated. The hideous laugh and clap tracks added for every silly thing makes the audience bored.

This raised a question in my mind. Why do we unnecessarily have to complicate something very simple? Why do we need to specifically add in the 'money factor' in such shows? The answer is T.R.P i.e Television Rating Point.

What is TRP? It is an indicator; it helps us to find out how many households watch a particular programme. This word has driven channels crazy; there is a cut-throat competition among channels as to who will come first in the race. For this reason, production houses get ready to do anything- paying crores of rupees to the hosts and judges, scripting jokes to such an extent that it starts appearing fake and adding in commercial elements to make the show more spicy and 'masaledar'.

( An interesting point to note here. It is not only the commercial TV channels rooting for highest TRP and methods to mint money; it is even the TV news channels also! Shocking, but surprisingly true. Bribery and threats are being given to people to watch a particular channel. Seriously??  How low can these people stoop down shamelessly?😤)

Now-a-days, sadly, comedy is presenting vulgarity, dance is presenting gymnastics and singing is presenting  everything else other than that. Reality shows show the whole nine yards other than the main point. For example, in a singing show you will have dance, sorrow stories after every five minutes and even a fake marriage between two people!

Look at the extent to which everything has fallen. Gone are the days when we could genuinely laugh, cry and express happiness. Every single thing is scripted; what the contestants have to speak, to who would be the winner, everything! People are told when to laugh and at times, the audience doesn't even understand the joke! That's how bad the shows have become.

Remember, you can never make a perfect reality show if you focus on things far from real. You can never succeed if you forget what your purpose is. You can earn the first spot in TRP, but you can never stay in people's hearts as the most-loved show. Instead you will be branded 'overrated'.

 So are olden day shows the best? They also weren't that perfect. Things were scripted then too. But, there was a touch of originality. How bad a show may be, the attempt to refine it was genuine. Actors put in their life and soul; tried their level best to elevate their performances to the top-notch. They were simple and natural. This is what is missing in today's shows. Adding pompousness will never make a show memorable- know that.

 But, there is an advantage now. Comparing from the past, there has been a huge increase in the talented individuals across the country. Also, there is an increase in the shows to showcase their talent; something which was not there before. There is a real tough competition among people, and they are coming forward without any fear- which is a very good sign. 

As I dug deeper into this issue, I found out something else too. Psychology says that man is a tamed beast; he enjoys watching others in problems and fights between people. Due to that sole reason reality shows make scripted fights! Also, unwanted sound effects, camera zooming in and out every second builds in the fear and tension thus making them over-excited. 

This situation is existent even in TV serials too- the melodramatic  'saas-bahu', over-the-top makeup and jewellery, the cunning villians, the silly ideas and the intense music for foolish reasons.

I understood one thing. People watch reality shows for those few moments of good singing, dancing and comedic gags. Everyone does get sick of a few things, but they watch it only for the performances. Shows that were enjoyed and watched fully are now being despised for the exaggerated things depicted.

The next question that arises here is- can reality shows become realistic?  Sadly, it is a big NO. It is a natural human tendency to act before the camera; to wear a fake mask when everyone is around. So, how much ever one tries to bring out true feelings, there will be a bit of acting with it- we have to accept it.

The penultimate question now is- should we watch reality shows or completely stop it? The decision is entirely yours. If you don't want to watch it, good. But if you watch it, know the difference between true and false. Don't get carried away by the content. Most importantly, don't start dreaming of some impossible things. If you do so, you will fall into the trap laid by such shows.

The main purpose of such shows is to make you ambitious; to make you yearn for the non-existent glamorous world. Know where to stop. Don't become an addict- because once it happens, you can never become your old self.

The message I want to convey through this blog is - you become what you watch. Don't watch too much of violence and become heartless. At the same time don't watch too much of heart-wrenching stories and become very sensitive. Strike a balance between both.

You never know whose face is behind the mask. Similarly, you never know the things done behind the scenes to make on screen look bright. We will never know the original face behind the tons of makeup done. So, get one thing imprinted in your mind:

TV reality is NOT practical life. It is the perfect example of 'UNREALISTIC REALITY'.

 

                                                                                  - Anusha Sridhar

Oral health

If there is something that is majorly ignored in the start and given attention when it is too late is oral health. This topic is very rarely discussed among people, and until and unless we face a dental complication, we never really know the salient role it plays in our life.

If we compare our childhood and present, ironically, dental hygiene was the most discussed topic during the former time. The first instruction given every morning was to brush teeth. Even in the good manners book, it was written to brush teeth twice and drink milk regularly. Every child had the basic knowledge not to eat anything before brushing. Also, kids used to keep their fallen milk tooth safely thinking that they would meet a tooth fairy and three of their deepest wishes would be granted. Those were sweet days, weren't they?

Some studies and research that has been done on teeth and maintenance of oral hygiene has bought devastating results. 2% of people stay without brushing for more than twenty-four hours and 46% of people don't brush for an entire day! What is even more shocking is that they really don't bother if they have dental issues, eat all kinds of junk without any limit and refuse to go to the dentist too!!

Why this drastic change within the same people who used to take care of their teeth so well? There are two major reasons for this. One is laziness and second is the swag. People have become really lethargic; they just want to relax on their bed and remain in the same cozy position. Also, the preconceived notion that 'not-brushing-and-not-bathing-is-cool' makes people inconsiderate towards their teeth. They feel that telling friends about such things will make them savage. It is not that way. Instead you will be branded as the 'stinker' and the 'bad-breath guy'.

Our mind has this tendency to avoid problems i.e to push back all the unpleasant details to a corner. This is exactly what happens when we discuss about teeth. The first thing that comes to our mind if we talk about deformed and spoilt teeth is cavities, fillings and root canal. The first two emotions that ring in are fear and pain.

 Fear, as everyone has their suggestions, their ways of complicating simple procedure and their ways of exaggeration. Root canal is compared to excavating in mines and filling is compared to stuffing something bad in the teeth. Due to hearing such comparisons from a long time we feel that the pain is going to be exponential and we stop looking at the benefits after the treatment.

I am not saying that everyone is scared. There are a few who take care of their teeth really well. They know how important it is to not have bad breath. But unfortunately, the percentage of such people is very less. 

How do we reduce the persistent fear from the minds of people? Read something funny about teeth; poetries, stories or anything that makes you laugh and forget the pain. I would suggest all of you to read the poem 'I wish I'd taken care of my teeth' by Pam Ayres. You will chuckle as well as you will understand the seriousness of the issue.

There is no problem if someone is scared in general. The problem arises only when they procrastinate the treatment due to fear. Due to such actions, they themselves complicate the entire matter. What was just supposed to be a filling turns into a root canal and if delayed even more turns into teeth removal. 

Remember, it is not correct to blame someone else for our mistakes. We can't blame the dentist if the procedure pains- because it is happening due to our negligence and indifference towards our teeth.

Many people think that only treatment is the problem. But there are problems before that also. First, is to find a good doctor whose clinic is close to your place. Second, is to fix a proper time so that there are no after-treatment complications. We may consider these two reasons insignificant now, but they do really matter.

It is very common that after one person in the family gets treatment done, we get to know that even others too have the same issue. We end up spending double the money than our estimation. We may curse the dentists momentarily that they are purposely charging more, but the end result is always in our favour. We must never compromise to get certain things done as it can change your life for the better.

                                  

Now you may ask me, why am I giving so much importance to oral health? It is because good teeth gives a good smile and a good smile elevates your look altogether. Even while getting a picture clicked we are told to say 'cheese' so that our mouth opens into a wide natural smile. Smile is the most beautiful gift of God. A true smile can move mountains and melt even the harshest of people. We can get a beautiful smile and all this is possible only when we have clean and white teeth.

Not only for this reason, but also, good teeth makes you confident while speaking in a crowd and speaking to friends and family. Others can form a good first impression on you. Your talk will surely be remembered and people will be more willing to talk to you. But if you delay, you will have several obstacles such as yellow teeth, improper speech and many others too.

Prevention is always better than cure. Work towards having strong teeth because that is when you can relish all your food cravings without any issue. This is not something which will not happen overnight. We must take care of our teeth in the same way we take care of our appearance as good teeth gives a good look, but a good look can never give us good teeth right? 

Always remember, there is nothing wrong in discussing about our oral health problems. If we share our experience, it is going to help someone; they can mentally prepare themselves if they have to take treatment. We are not going to become a laughing stock among people that we had problems at an early age. Instead we will become an inspiration for those who have assumed apprehensions regarding the treatment.

If it can happen to you, it can happen to anyone. Never feel that you are immune towards such problems. Always be on the alert. Even if you feel a slight discomfort, immediately consult the dentist. Be true to your teeth otherwise, they will be 'FALSE' for  you.

Last but not the least,

Brush your teeth everyday

Keep dental problems away

Follow pratices without going astray

Surely people will listen to your say!!

(P.S Many of you might ask me why I had chosen such a simple topic after writing a spree of complex and high-end ones. The reason is, I felt that you can connect easily to a topic like this. Also, I really don't want people to give oral health the last preference and repent later. 

This is a personal insight so please don't take offense to any of the comments and observations mentioned. I hope you could connect to the points and understand the message I am trying to convey)

                                                                           - Anusha Sridhar